Through Fractured Time
by Limey Studios
Summary: A very different take on the Subspace Emissary, exploring the idea if all those characters and worlds of Nintendo weren't just figments of our imagination from the games. What if they actually existed somewhere out there among the stars? More importantly though, what would happen if something profound caused our worlds to meet? Back from a lengthy hiatus! Hope to continue soon...
1. Our Same Stars

_A/N:_ _Hi all_ _, two quick things I wanted to mention: On my profile page there's an insightful preface to the story, and_ _I have a link to the compiled ** SOUNDTRACK on YouTube called "Sounds From Beyond The Rift."**_ _I hope it helps to give the clearest sense I can offer of the epic yet ethereal aesthetic of this story, as well as its whole scope. As they often say in film, music is a direct second voice to a story, and that's my exact intention here. So with that, I hope you enjoy!_

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 ****** ACT 01 – THE GRAND COLLISION ******

 **PROLOGUE – OUR SAME STARS**

Sometimes we lose ourselves in a thought...

Yes, give a simple thought, perhaps...

That single moment of time goes largely unnoticed into the past; never to be seen or heard from again other than in the form of a delicate memory for someone, someplace. But what's in this moment, or this little thought with all the things that might happen across the universe in such a quick blink of an eye? The only possible answer would be far too many things to even begin comprehending.

Days pass into nights, and the nights into days again. An eternal dance goes between the sun, moon, and stars which all watch over our little celestial home we call Earth. Soon, it's the months which come to an end. Seasons slip away with the gentle gusts of chilled wind. The rains slowly become snow, their frail counterpart, and cover up the thick layers of withered leaves from last autumn's cleaning to start anew. Another whole year arrives before we know it.

The very notions of time and our existence become all but forlorn amidst this increasingly rapid pace of all things in the world today, but maybe there's simply too little time to really try and ponder that idea in the first place.

Everyone was once a young child too, eventually coming to a stop on the path they walk in an attempt to look back and remember just how wondrous and so opened the world around them was. What all had been forgotten somewhere in that transition called growing up? It seemed as though it were a surreal yet beautiful dream the entire time, without a beginning nor end.

They saw everything in a different light, felt everything with a different heart. All of life wasn't as it seemed. There was something much greater out there; perhaps something beyond anything in reality. Only now, many years later, a certain hint of this elusive feeling is finally revisiting some of them again.

How they wondered about every little thing. They gazed up longingly at the clouds, high above their shoulders in a weightless drift off to distant places. They saw how their shadows were dancing on the ground and on the walls in the amber sunlight of a summer's evening. It was how they laughed and played together with their friends on those untold counts of beautiful days outside. Even the soft sound of their bare feet running upon moist morning grass in the yard is often still heard in frail echoes, beckoning from somewhere far beyond.

During the nights, every twinkling star both large and small, close and far, watched over each one of them from the dark skies so far above. The children's eyes would often stare upward with that same yearning; a certain aching desire to journey somewhere else. The heavens always answered back down to them, smiling just the same while a wisp of the night's breeze caressed through their hair. It's all the things which go by unseen, but are somehow felt so powerfully.

Moments like these are engraved forever; euphoric senses somewhere deep in the mind but moreover in the heart, like little photographs marking an exact time and place years ago. It just recalls something special. Such curiosities and memories often differ between each child, but they'd hardly ever take a stray path from their innocent core of youthfulness whence they occurred.

It was all those indefinite fascinations they let percolate deeply over the passing years whenever they tried something new. There was also a very first time when he or she played a video game in their lives, but what exactly was a video game to us back then? What meanings did it have? They were something beautiful to any young mind's imagination, just like all the other wonders of life.

They were stories...

They were characters...

They were worlds...

They were alive with endless possibilities...

But all of it was only on a screen, existing here on this world in an artificial dimension of pixels. They sprawled across a rectangular TV panel, and yet, it was somehow much more than that. Against the darkness of a game room where nothing ever seemed to change with time, it was a mystical window into that other place. Many a young mind could gain control and explore an entire digital realm with a quick flick of the thumb-stick, or tap of a button. They would play long into the deep hours of night with their friends, brothers, or sisters; solidifying what could very well be the shortest of passing moments into lifelong memories which would never be forgotten.

Can it properly be described, this little feeling? Are we meant to understand what this echoing wonder from childhood could mean? Perhaps, it really might be a tiny fragment of a much greater understanding, but even so there's something else; another certain elusive quality to make it this indescribable when we try to look back on it all. It's as though it were just the warm fading embers of what was left deep within us.

How and why nevertheless, it might not matter so much in the end. After all, what is there but time itself which doesn't ever think to stop and take a glance back on its own course, no matter how much we sometimes want it to? It may very well be that and that reason alone, because it is the nature of all things we know.

Everything simply goes on...

There are some people who do finally turn to witness this beautiful sight of the fiery evening sun, as it descends below the horizon in a sunset fit for eternity. Misty streaks of airplane jet trails become illuminated and crisscross the waning sky, ever so slowly. Then, from far beyond the vibrant purple and orange-tinted light rays protruding through distant clouds, the first strands of stars quietly unveil themselves to shine. Fields of nighttime city lights come to life all around the darkening world, emitting their faint glittery glow of orange and yellow. Countless moving vehicles traverse the webs of roads down there. In houses and buildings, it's the flickering light from a TV screen which now gives them a trace of life.

This is our modern world we know and live. Another day has come to its closure; all in another quick blink of an eye. Strangely enough though, from within that swift little moment, it comes to be noticed. It's as if this day never actually ended to begin with.

Moments continue ever onward, merely as flashes through the darkness. Night is hardly different from the day anymore. Almost everything in this time, this life, and this world is a construct made by someone. It's almost all a blur, an illusion; an artificial existence like the games. The lifeblood of that youthful innocence and once-full beauty feels forever torn away. It's been lost and forgotten, drifting somewhere far behind in this great current that flows ever-forward.

A walk down among the bustling streets. All sights and sounds become nothing more than hazy streaks. Faces of people suddenly begin rushing by, indistinct to a trembling eye. They too are strangers, wandering like mere ghosts amidst this vast modern world. Their hearts whither and bleed, struggling to seek any kind of understanding. Silhouetted figures drift across the illuminated window panes on high-rise buildings, likewise left without a sense of time nor place.

Playgrounds become abandoned and overgrown. A rusted swing-set gently sways in the shifting fog of night. Dark alleyways sit beneath the yellow saturation of streetlamps, buzzing their constant electrical hum. The pavement of a schoolyard slowly fractures, its paint disintegrating with the passing time.

It's all those things fading...

Yet, even with all of this, a whole new wave of memories are being formed nonetheless. Within the darkness of a game room in any house this night, a little red power button on a console is pressed, and it all starts up on the TV screen once again. Those digital worlds of the games come back to their bright virtual life, and take over as they captivate the minds of so many children. Friends, brothers, and sisters alike enjoy this next escape from what all has become their accepted reality. In one way, it's such a strange thing to try and imagine, but like a great metaphor for this modern world, it makes time just disappear all the same. Anything from seconds to years.

The circle keeps repeating itself over and over again, making another child become a grown-up before they know it. So it goes; eventually they too will stop someplace on the path they walk and ponder that simple little thought of: _Where did it all go?_

Perhaps though, a reminiscent feeling of yet another particular question is still here as well. Are all those cherished characters and worlds we knew and loved so well really just video games in the end? There possibly was a sense of that idea lingering somewhere deep in the subconsciousness of many young children's imaginations when they played a game. It really does begin to make one wonder. What if, somehow, their little intuitions were right all along? Those characters and worlds weren't merely here in a digital existence as we know them?

To think that what if, somewhere out there among the stars, they were all real?

They not only were, but still are.

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 **Music/Song:** ** _"Belle E'poque 3012"_**

 _* Planet Neightyvee - The Mushroom Kingdom *_

Echoes from the soft heartbeat of silence were all that emanated amid the slumbering shadows of night, wrapped by the cosmic blanket of countless shimmering stars far above.

Atmospheric conditions here in the northern Mushroom Kingdom were particularly stunning this night. Not a single silhouette of any disrupting cloud tried to sneak its way across the massive sky's reach, and within the air, it seemed as though a kind of mellowed sense slowly flowed along with the cool breeze, carrying a feeling of what all was possibly to come.

Perhaps though, there were many other mysteries out here as well, with their answers hiding somewhere deep in the dark veil upon this seemingly endless landscape of gently rolling hills covered in grassland.

There was a long and narrow dirt road that stretched its way far off into the distance, with the dazzling glow of the Milky Way's central band hovering overhead. It straddled the entire viewable cosmic realm and shone so vividly that it granted the land a considerable hint of its ambient nighttime luminance. Just near the horizon's edge though, there was a small collection of dark houses. Only a few of them had one or two windows lit.

It was the humble abodes of Toad Town, but a bit farther beyond them, there stood a much more massive stone structure; a castle of some kind with several distinct tower silhouettes.

On a balcony extending out from this castle, there was a certain someone who stood alone; silently gazing up at the nocturne above whilst being slightly hunched over with both hands resting on the railing. This area was perched high above the darkened plains below, and only a single light was on somewhere in the room behind the balcony's doorway. It offered the softest touch of warm illumination from the back while most of everything else was enveloped in shadows.

Some of the other local worlds out there in the inner Nassazar System were visible as well. They floated without a sound among all those stars, and were what this lonely someone was mainly fixed on observing. Tiny webbed clumps of yellow and orange city lights flickered ever so subtly in the atmospheric distortion, for the other civilizations could be seen on the dark surfaces of those neighboring celestial bodies even with a naked eye.

This lone person remained totally quiet during these passing minutes; being one with _his_ thoughts on what he was gazing at. It was all so far away, yet somehow so close at the same time. Indeed though, from this person's silhouette it was obviously a _he_ , and he appeared to have a rather big, rounded nose as well. He was kind of on the short side height-wise speaking, but he also wore a flat-ish styled cap which hinted a shade of red in the light's gentle caress from behind.

Then, from that opened door to the inside of the castle, a taller silhouette of another person walked out onto the balcony. Soft taps emitted from a pair of high-heeled shoes upon the stone with each step as this new someone approached the other already at the railing. Soon after, a hand gently rested upon his right shoulder from behind, but he wasn't at all surprised at this caring gesture. Rather, he turned his head back and knew who it was coming out to join him.

This second person was a _she_ who had long, thick flowing hair that shone a visible blonde color and was wearing what appeared to be a gold-tinted crown on the top of her head. Its dozen or so jewels gleamed in reflecting all the small grains of pale starlight that were suspended high above the two's heads as they stood there together, one right behind the other.

"... Mario? Are you alright?" The taller one finally leaned closer and spoke through her soft lips. It was of course none other than Princess Toadstool.

"You've been out here for a while now." She continued, "Even during most of the party, you were rather quiet. I guess... I couldn't help but notice."

With care, she began to massage his seemingly tense shoulder, but it wasn't. He'd in fact been quite relaxed this whole time, even before when he was out here by himself. A light sigh then came from him before he answered calmly yet assuredly.

"I'm okay, Peach. Thanks-a-so much for the tea and cake. It was a lovely little party." He spoke in a very distinct Italian accent, because this little man was indeed Mario himself. Even though his face couldn't be seen that well in the dark, he went on and tried to explain some of what his feelings were.

"Maybe... I'm just-a-thinking, you know? Tomorrow morning seems-a-so far away... like everything else, and-a-everyone else up there."

Peach took a step forward so she now stood directly beside Mario, also gazing up with starlight twinkling in her blue eyes as she thoughtfully proclaimed, "Hmm, well I'd say they're all probably wondering the same thing when they look up and see us on Neightyvee... or maybe even what the tiny speck of lights that Toad Town looks like to them on their worlds. After all, they watch the same stars as we do..."

A lengthy period of silence arose in the wake of those open-ended words. Only the air with its mellow hum drifted on to accompany their enraptured gaze, but it was because all the thoughts were starting to flow deeper inside them both. They were those broad and insurmountable thoughts such as: _Really, what is out there among all those stars? Is there anybody, or anything staring right back at us... wondering the exact same thing? How many lives are in this present moment; how many new beginnings? How many ends?_

It was the myriad of mute words that wanted to be spoken so badly, yet simply couldn't be articulated in the right way. Maybe it was all a knowing beyond such words, and was for the better to remain something forever internal.

"Peach..." The little mustached man started again, "Have you ever wondered... if there's anything out there?"

"... You mean, out beyond the sector?" She just wanted to clarify, but her question got confirmed by a quick nod from him.

"Si, out there beyond. Have you ever really thought about it?"

Peach was quite awe-struck from feeling a powerful sense of this wholly elusive wonder, brought by stargazing here with her dear Mario.

"I guess I do, sometimes." She finally replied, "I mean, just think... there are two-dozen civilized worlds here in the Nassazar alone. Then there's Lylat of course, and the Aminuss as well..."

"... Many billions of people across-a-those worlds too, like-a-all the stars up there." Mario then slowly let out a breath, "... But I just-a-cannot believe it, if we're the only place in-a-the universe with-a-life."

Peach blinked briefly before fully closing her eyes for several moments. She was just letting it all become more perceptible as she marveled, "Wow, that's so difficult to imagine, Mario..."

He glanced over at her, if only out of the corners of his eyes. He could see that she still smiled with that fascination, although he was doing the exact same.

"You know," the Princess started again, "It's almost like you're a whole different person when you get in this... well, I guess I'd call it a mindset."

"Aha, do I really?" Answered Mario a bit bashfully, crossing his arms behind his back.

"But I love it...!" Peach couldn't help but give a small giggle. "You're right! How can Sector N... how can _we_ possibly be alone? Ah, I just... can't describe the feeling it's giving me right now."

"Mm, it's-a-really something to wonder about, isn't it?" Mario nodded again with that same smile in the dark, still deep in his observation of the cosmos and wondering on that whole, beautiful idea. "Well, I think about it-a-quite often, anyways..."

Then he pointed up to a certain area of the sky and asked, "You see that red star, up there?"

"Uh-huh... that big one?" She leaned her head in so it was right next to his, in order to look down the length of his finger.

"... There, you know which star that-a-one is?"

Peach thought a moment before she smiled and replied, "Oh, it's the red giant, um... the _Great Tomato_ , of course...!"

"Hehe, righty-o it is!" Chuckled the little mustached man. "It's-a-the only other local star here in the sector that-a-we can see during our summer nights."

He turned to his Princess again to see what she thought, but her gaze and attention remained fixed on the grandiose panorama far above them. Now she was beginning to think about some other, much more significant things that were currently going on.

"... You know, there's probably been a lot of ships travelling up there between the planets too. They'll all be heading toward Neightyvee, and actually won't be landing that far from here... starting early tomorrow morning."

"... Hmm, that's-a-true." Agreed the little man with just a hint of what sounded like uncertainty. He was suddenly thinking on that same something, which he knew she was alluding to.

Another pause came afterwards, but this time it lasted for an entire minute or two as the night's cool breeze whisked upon their faces. It may have been the middle of summer, but it was a very lovely sensation. This northern region of the continent was comfortably cool on clear nights like these, and it couldn't have fit the blissful atmosphere any better.

"Um, Mario?" Peach finally asked him once more, still massaging his shoulder closest to her. Perhaps she felt something wasn't quite right due to the more subtle uncertainty of his last remark.

"Are you... just a bit nervous for this week?"

The little man pondered for a moment, but then he answered confidently.

"Actually, no... not at all." He was perfectly calm, and this time he set his own hand upon hers to reassure her. "I _know_ it-a-will all be great, but I was... just-a-thinking about it."

She understood now, and couldn't help but smile with him as they gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments. Then the two looked back up, just in time to witness a bright shooting star streak brilliantly across the sky. They held hands and made a wish together; a promise to keep.

"Oh, and I can't remember if you said it before or not, but... Who are you up against first?" Asked Peach as another thought had promptly crossed her mind.

"Kirby. How about that, eh?" He answered, now bearing a slight hint of sarcasm.

"Again? Hm..." She didn't seem surprised. "Well, I'm guessing there's a reason for you two always being first..."

"Maybe so..." Agreed Mario, "But-a, perhaps we should go back inside? Everyone must-a-be wondering where we went...!"

"I mean, there's really no rush..." Calmly, the Princess rested her arms on the balcony railing right next to Mario. "Let's stay a little bit longer. I love it out here..."

It seemed this beautiful night would go on forever. Those dark silhouettes of the other planets drifted slowly but surely across the clear sky, while all the diamond-like stars twinkled and glistened beautifully in the backdrop. As with anything though, those long and shrouded hours of the night kept passing until eventually, the first emanations of dawn arrived and it was finally time.

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Morning, slowly, on this great edge of tomorrow...

An amber-tinted Nassazar sun peeked over the edge of a distant horizon facing the east, caressing a brilliant and fiery luminance onto stratified blankets of clouds which straddled the foreground of the vast opened sky above. The sight may have been utterly breathtaking by itself, but it was how the faint white outlines of those nearby planets and moons both large and small lent a truly magnificent and even divine touch to this canvas.

Withering stone structures and ancient ruins and floated among this seemingly endless sea of calm clouds too, hovering here in their mysterious existence as the rising sun shone vivid orange rays through the opened parts of their antiquated architecture. Many faded and ripped red banners hung from points around these ruins and bore the stark images of a black, circular insignia which had a pair of perpendicular lines struck through the lower third of the shapes.

It looked like the most peculiar and off-set kind of cross, but it was a special symbol nevertheless. The cool morning breeze lapped against these banners gently; whispering tales from some other time so long ago.

The start of a new and truly beautiful day was being announced on this side of Neightyvee, but this wasn't just a dawning of any ordinary day. Within the morning's mellow there was a feeling as well; one that was almost drifting. It was new and not quite describable, but rather elusive. It was even an anxious kind of energy, but was still being felt in a positive manner overall.

Distant whispers of some sort echoed softly through the light's warm embrace as the final visible stars from last night sparkled faintly, biding a farewell until the time came for them to emerge once again. Only those faint white outlines of the other planets and moons now barely lingered in the of the lightening blue shades of the sky. Not long after however, they too had faded away altogether.

There was a kind of unseen movement all around, with everything going to converge somewhere at some time for something big that was happening today; something significant.

* * *

But then, everything flashed back to the empty nothingness of darkness and silence again, though it was only for a brief instance.

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A set of window blinds suddenly swung open with a sharp whooshing sound, splitting the calmness and allowing the morning's warmth to flood into a once-dark bedroom while sparkling particles of dust danced all about. They soon came to a weightless float in the ethereal company of these light rays, after having been kicked up from their own slumber.

It was obviously a children's bedroom. Stuffed animals filled some of the shelves, toys littered a play table as well as the floor area just around it, and colorful walls bearing arts and crafts made the scenario all the more complete.

"Alright boys, let's get up and at it." A voice then spoke up from a silhouetted figure standing over a twin bed. "Today's the big day!"

This figure cast a stark shadow over the bed where two young green-spotted Toads lay; comfortably nuzzled under the blankets and still fast asleep. They were definitely twin brothers by the looks of it.

After a moment of seemingly being ignored, the figure stepped aside, letting the light smother them. It pierced sharply upon their closed eyelids and the one on the right started groaning.

"Aw come on dad, it's way too early...!"

"Besides... It's stupid Monday and I don't wanna go to school...!" The other one meanwhile covered his arm across his eyes, annoyed and defiant to their prompt awakening. The father just smiled however and walked over, starting to playfully tickle them in their bed.

"You gotta be kidding me...!" He cackled, "Too early on the Monday of the _Galactic Smash Tournament's 200th Anniversary?!_ Ha, I think not, ya little sleepy bugs! You don't even _have_ school this week!"

His kids squirmed and laughed under the sheets until one of them capitulated at last, almost out of breath.

"Aghhh! Alright dad, alright! We're awake!"

Eventually the father did stop his little tickle assault and let them catch their breath before further announcing, "Mom's preparing a little breakfast... you guys' favorite, so we can watch it all live on the news as it starts. Now, who's hungry?"

Soon, this Toad family of four were all making themselves comfortable together out in their small but comfy living room which was complete with a nice breakfast set out on the central table. Their house appeared to be like a sort of interesting burrow, as the walls and ceiling were made of naturally compacted dirt works. A slight ways in front of the table, their TV was on, showcasing some reports on the national weather for the coming week and so forth.

"Everything all set, gents?" The wife with the pink-spotted cap asked, bringing over a pitcher of orange juice and checking the table set for them all. Indeed, everything seemed to be in place, except for one important thing, as her husband lightheartedly pointed out.

"Other than waiting for it to start... yep, we're good to go!"

One of the twin brothers then politely asked, "Mom, can I have some juice please?"

"Sure honey, pass your glass over."

As she poured the drink, the father turned to both the young brothers in the meantime and shared, "Hey boys, I know a few friends from work who are actually going to _Midair Stadium_ itself. Can you even imagine what that place must be like?"

The curious-eyed brothers were indeed captivated as he went on, slightly shaking his head out of his own fascination.

"A hundred thousand... nah, scratch that... _hundreds of thousands_ of people from all over the known galaxy... gathered there at that one place so high in the sky. And mind you, they're the real, _real_ lucky ones who get to be up there...!"

Fully intent for keeping up these positive vibes, he happily faced his wife who was now getting a piece of toast from the small basket on the table and added, "Maybe... we'll all go there one of these times, right honey?"

The excited kids, desiring an immediate answer to this question, faced their mother who smiled caringly and thoughtfully replied, "I think that would be a wonderful trip, if we could just find seats before they all sell out in such a flash. I even thought about trying for this one, but when I checked last year, during what I thought was an early time... everything was _already_ booked out."

"Mm, so you see now, boys?" Their father, winking a smile at his two kids, joked, "Sometimes you have to be early on more things than just a _stupid_ Monday."

The news meanwhile had begun to play a flashy set of introductory sports-themed animations. It was accompanied by a rising, enthusiastic music score which caused the family to eagerly turn their attention back to the TV. Onscreen, a group of three formally dressed Koopa news anchors sat around a large glass table and one of them made no hesitation in beaming to the camera.

"Goooood morning Mushroom Kingdom, and what a fine morning it is! This is the MCN network and we are coming live from our central studio, right here in Mushroom City!"

"Oh it'll be a gorgeous day today, that's for sure!" One of the other anchors joined in, "Did you see the sunrise out there on the way into downtown, Frank? Man, what a sight."

The family began enjoying their breakfast while the third anchor proclaimed, "You said it there, Dennis. Anyways, we hope you all got your plans for the work week off folks, because you're right; it couldn't be more perfect weather for the big day today! It is _the_ opening day of the _Fiftieth Quadrennial Galactic Smash Tournament,_ hosted right here in the Mushroom Kingdom! We know all you good folks are just as excited as we are, so let's not waste any time! We're going over right now to live coverage from one of our teams on the ground... or, up in the air rather... at the arrival piers from the one and only Midair Stadium!"

* * *

And so, everything was beginning. That once shrouded and elusive feeling drifting within the air last night, was now slowly manifesting into its true form:

 _The endless grasslands covering this northern region of the continent, being illuminated unto a brilliant verdant._

 _A gigantic and beautiful tree stands in the emerging sunlight, its limbs and leaves gently swaying to and fro in the awakening breeze._

 _Time-lapse_ _of the morning; the Nassazar sun rising higher with a soaring flight further northward._

 _Beyond great seas to an array of different lands across Neightyvee, and the same wayward voyage out onto other worlds._

 _Different cityscapes, civilizations, and so many more sights to behold from each place on this grand expanding tour of Sector N._

 _Journey out and across the three star systems; those glorious celestial neighborhoods, with all the dozens of planets orbiting their suns._

 _Descending from the farthest reaches of each world, all the way back down to perhaps the most remote and baron of landscapes on Neightyvee._

 _A huge, lonely lake lay in this tundra-like wilderness, surrounded by jagged snow-capped mountains in the distance. Sparse clouds dotted the vast cerulean sky._

 _There was an apparent absence of any life or movement; a sudden stillness and silence over this whole desolate region of the far northern Mushroom Kingdom._

 _But then, there came the faint and deep rumble of a jet engine, emanating from somewhere high above._

 _Now there was movement, all going towards that one special place called Midair Stadium._

The next great Smash Tournament of Sector N was here, and there was no turning back now that this dawn had come to pass. It would be a day to remember, indeed.


	2. Welcome to Midair Stadium

_"More than anything else, I believe this sensation is one of perfect peace mingled with an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost... if you can conceive of such a combination."_ \- Wilbur Wright.

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 **CHAPTER 01 – WELCOME TO MIDAIR STADIUM**

 **Music/Song:** **_"Awake"_**

High in the sky above, mid-morning sun rays showered upon thick clouds as a flying, futuristic-in-appearance transport shuttle burst out from the fluffy wall with a loud whoosh of its jet engines. A glistening stream of mist trailed in the craft's wake as it soared past some of those suspended ancient stone ruins in a wide, smooth bend. Soon it rounded a particularly huge column of cumulus clouds and began to approach a distant but towering structure suspended in mid-air, silhouetted against an almost divine back light.

Inside this shuttle, there was an impressive range of passengers who were coming from all around the sector. Many hailed from far away in the Lylat System as well as the Aminuss System, though some were just coming from several other worlds here in the Nassazar System. They were all very densely packed in here almost like sardines, but it didn't seem to bother them one bit. They actually began getting one another's attention soon enough, clamoring upon noticing the first sight of their destination being unveiled from behind the clouds.

"Alrighty folks, we're approaching Midair Stadium! If you'll look out across the clouds on our left, there _she_ is warming up for the day too." The shuttle pilot's voice warmly announced back to his many excited passengers, marveling and gazing out at this constructed wonder floating among the clouds. Some of them even turned to one another and exchanged quick but enthusiastic remarks on how they just couldn't wait for today.

"Just as a little reminder, we'll be arriving on the second level at docking bay Two-A." The pilot continued informatively, "I'd make sure you have your tickets at the ready, since they'll be checked right upon entering the gates. We wouldn't want any holdups because of that _now_ , would we folks?"

Many of the passengers immediately began doing just that, searching their pockets, backpacks, and purses for proper documents. The thick shadow of the stadium began enveloping the shuttle as it flew closer, towering overhead in its gargantuan stature. The same thoughts were probably on everyone's mind though.

They all knew that this was it. This was their arrival to what had been so eagerly awaited for the last four years.

* * *

 _* Midair Stadium - Above the far-northern Mushroom Kingdom *_

Height-wise speaking, the arrival piers were located near the stadium's outer middle section. Layers upon layers of landing docks protruded out from the side and were almost completely flooded with hundreds of similar shuttles and air buses arriving. Like never-ending clockwork, the hydraulic doors on each of the buses hissed open as they came to a hovering stop, unloading their thick streams of passengers who all eagerly crowded up to get to the ticket check-in lines located farther down.

There probably wasn't a single person, anthropomorphic creature, or being on these piers who didn't have at least slightly widened eyes. Those who wore glasses or spectacles could only adjust them as they gazed upward, wondering while passing under the arched neon sign that welcomed them to Midair Stadium. Now they were getting a true glimpse at just how utterly humongous this airborne mass of concrete, metal, and other material actually was. The sensation it brought was truly a jaw-dropping one.

Even though it was already several kilometers aloft from terra-firma, its four large towers along each corner of the stadium reached even further skyward. In an indescribable way, they were embracing this great architectural canvas of morning against which it was all set. From way up here, the rest of the whole world seemed insignificant and even forgotten altogether.

Nevertheless, the scene across the arrival piers was vibrantly alive and well. In one area, right past the check-in lines before the actual entrance into the stadium, there was a large booth for making bets on the match brackets. A literal sea of hands surrounded it from all those people eagerly holding up money to place down.

"Step right up, lads and lasses! Place your bets here on who might win the first round today!" A large humanoid-creature announcer who wore a top hat twirled a little cane and stepped up onto a pedestal. This let him stand above these choppy waves of hands as he energetically called around, "Step right up and place your bets here! Only one bet per person, if you would please!"

Not surprisingly though, during all of this activity there were many news crews present from different worlds in the systems. They were each conducting their own bit of coverage on the unfolding spectacles here across the piers, and one of these crews was just about to come on live for the Mushroom Central News channel.

Standing with everything in motion behind her, a young and violet-spotted Toadette reporter took it away after getting the signal. "Thanks a lot guys. Jackie here, coming in live from the arrival piers, and what you see behind me is pretty much everything I'd ever need to say!"

Even the camera crew of a few other Toads here with her had quite a hard time keeping focus, because they occasionally glanced up and around as she reported on.

"This morning's turnout is massive, just massive... although, in a way I guess it's not surprising since this smash tournament is the largest so far in its whole history! We even know that many of the more eager attenders had crowded up and camped out the _entire last week_ at the departure depots in Mushroom City!"

She then started to take a few steps, walking backwards as the camera crew began following her toward the entrance. They had a Steadicam system, so the task of maneuvering around was effortless on their part. It was actually just what they intended to do for this special live showcasing.

All above them were levels upon levels of balconies which extended out from private suites and fancy apartments that one could rent for considerably high prices, not surprisingly. Some of those wealthy and more privileged renters up there were leaning on the railing, a few even with a drink in hand, observing everything that was going on below their feet.

The Toadette reporter pointed up and around the whole docking bay area whilst further explaining, "It's hard to think that this is only the outside shell we're seeing. Something much greater is inside, so let's take a trip through for all you viewers to go get a look at the more... _central_ attraction, shall we?"

* * *

A near-continuous flow of spectators and guests alike swept through a labyrinth of large hallways boasting gift shops, drink bars, food stands, and all sorts of other booths. Nearly each and every of them had a crowd at their fronts, so there was a beautiful variety of sights, sounds, smells, and excited voices mixed in with this atmosphere. These were the complex bowels here inside the stadium, and the Toadette reporter was maneuvering her way through the very thick of it with her crew just behind; operating their gliding camera.

Now the reporter had to raise her voice quite a bit, in attempts to talk over the flurry of other people's voices around her. She began giving an almost rambling but perhaps appropriate tour-like insight on the stadium's intriguing history.

 _"Midair Stadium, for those of you folks who might not know, was built two-hundred years ago as a huge collaboration between Engineers from all over the sector for the start of these smash tournaments! Of course there are always renovations being done on it between each tournament to keep it in good shape, but get this: Midair Stadium can reach a full carrying capacity of a little over TWO-HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE! Can y'all even believe that huge number of people, way up here in one place? It's like an entire small city_ _at the height of a tall mountain_ _!"_

She cheerfully turned back, ushering into the lens of the trailing camera to keep up with her while they passed so many of those lively scenarios in the food court.

 _"You might also be asking, where does all the power up here come from? Well, all of it's actually being generated from the huge wind turbines and solar fusion cells up on the tops of those four towers we saw back outside. That's why the stadium's this high, to avoid any weather problems. Don't need to worry about trash or other waste either, because it's all vaporized once compacted. It's quite the eco-friendly facility in that sense, but food and other supplies have to be air-lifted up, not surprisingly! Still, there's almost everything under the sun in here! Each time they always add new things. Plenty of stuff to do for the kiddies; a whole list of things for mom and dad to do also, so it's quite easy to get lost if you don't know where you're going. Luckily though, there are many friendly staff to help you out. Remember also that this is only one part of the stadium's inside we're seeing, but c'mon! We're nearly there!"_

Soon enough, she turned onto a long albeit more darkened hallway where at the very end, there it was: A doorway filled with bright light, which was daylight peeking into the hall from outside. The shape of that doorway seemed to float there in the dark, like an ethereal passage of some kind leading to another realm. Maybe in one way though, it could very well be considered that, for this was in fact the upper entrance which lead out into the main arena and was exactly where they intended to go.

Numerous bobbing silhouettes of other people's heads drifted along with this whole stream, conversing excitedly amid that light spilling in, but all this talking soon gave way to other, much more powerful sounds as they drew closer.

A subsequent swelling rise of massive-sounding stadium music enveloped the news crew now as they passed through the brightly illuminated doorway. After allowing their eyes to adjust in the brightness, a truly breathtaking sight was revealed before them. Stark chills ran down the backs of each of them, prompting them to stop in their tracks and just blink a few times.

It was like they had in fact passed through a mystic threshold, into another realm entirely.

* * *

 **Music/Song:** **_"Into the Deep"_**

The open-roofed interior of Midair Stadium's arena was massive; utterly massive. Even that might be quite an understatement to many, for just like the reporter had mentioned, it was as if the population of an entire small city had all converged here on this first day alone. The seating levels were already becoming jam packed with hundreds of thousands of all sorts of people and beings, from every one of the participating lands and worlds in Sector N's three primary star systems.

They were all gathering here, under this one open roof, for this week-long tournament along with other festivities to celebrate the ongoing peace and unity that they all shared across their stars.

It was literally a mythical-sized melting pot for the entire known galaxy, but beyond that there seemed to be a true sense of magic emanating in the air; coming from everyone, for everyone. To simply take a first look around at all these sights and sounds teeming here in this arena was almost overwhelming to the senses, but it felt enthralling like nothing else could ever be. The Toadette reporter surely had a rather difficult time staying on task, for she could turn her head every which way and no matter where she would gaze there was something grand to marvel at.

High up on the extensive metallic framework of the retracted roof, a hanging set of huge mounted screens displayed flashy graphics behind eye-catching text that spelled: _Welcome to Midair Stadium_. Of course, there was also the seemingly endless series of advertisements that came from the countless sponsors of this grand event. Their graphics were pasted along the corners of the main screens, but were also scrolling along smaller banner screens that circumnavigated the whole stadium horizontally, along the divisions of seating levels.

Far down below these numerous levels of seats, at least a good five-hundred meters, there was the famed smash platform itself in the very center. Covered in a blueish AstroTurf with white lines, it was completely flat-surfaced for fairness in a match, though additional raised platforms could be added if necessary. Chasms surrounded it with naught but the sky below, and only a few layers of thick safety nets were all that separated someone from several kilometers of a long free-fall down to the surface. This central platform was of course where the smashes took place, although it was an empty sight for now except for some stadium workers down there making sure everything was ready. It was, however, soon to be the very focus of the entire known galaxy's attention.

Indeed, from this spectacular view across the arena where the Mushroom Central News crew stood, on one of the upper levels, all this activity appeared as almost a blur in their eyes. They couldn't focus on but a handful of those countless tiny figures at a time, and it especially struck them how they were here with all these other people who had come from somewhere else; moving around now like an endless flow on each level of the seating sections.

Even that powerful aural ocean of clamor was starting to become indistinct in the Toadette reporter's ears, just like all the sights were to her eyes.

"Wow, what a... _real_ experience this is, folks..." She declared at last, with her mouth a bit numb from being so agape. She'd luckily managed to come back to her senses, but remained very much awe-struck in trying to utter her words.

"I'll be honest, it's my first time reporting live from in here, so I'm gonna say it right now... Watching it on a TV doesn't do it _any_ justice at all."

Finally, after letting it all soak in for a few more moments to both her and the nearly hypnotized crew, she took a deep breath and turned; facing the camera once again with a beaming face.

"Alright, now then..." She started, "How about we check out just a glimpse at the range of people that are here in this section? Remember folks, this is only gonna be a sampler of the crowd on the _first_ day... of this whole week."

The reporter and the camera crew of her fellow Toads then began to maneuver down the crowded aisle, carefully worming their way past the shoulders and bodies of many other people. Occasionally, along the way, they accidentally nudged a few of them.

"As y'all can tell, just calling it _a little busy_ here is... an understatement like nobody's business!" She pointed out rather amusingly, though right after she finished saying that she backed right into a taller person who was trying to pass by. Surprised, she quickly turned around and apologized.

"Oh, sorry...! Excuse us there...!"

"No worries miss, you're all good!" The person's voice faintly called from off-camera, giving the Toadette some relief. Soon enough though, after looking around, she and the crew approached some of the seated spectators right near their present location, mostly for convenience's sake.

"... Hello there!" She warmly welcomed to a family of human-like beings, though their ears had pointed tips like elves. "Mushroom Central News here, and we're interested for all our viewers on the ground; where do you and your family come from?"

She kindly held the mic up close to their selected family of interviewees, who were all clad in a very traditional and colorful type of garb. They were understandably a bit taken back at first to suddenly be cast into the spotlight like this.

"Oh, um, greetings...!" The husband of the family cleared his throat and couldn't help but give a small scoff as he smiled for the camera. He was here with his wife and two children, a boy and a girl.

"We hail from east across the sea, from the Kingdom of Hyrule."

"Hylian, hmm? That's fascinating!" The reporter gossiped a little bit by complimenting, "I just love your clothing; very traditional for the occasion, right?"

"Well, I suppose..." the husband admitted with a chuckle, "but what other occasion could there be, to watch our Kingdom's finest warriors compete in this legendary event?"

"Mhmm, that's very true!" Agreed the reporter.

After happily talking a bit more, the news crew thanked them and moved onto another couple of spectators nearby.

"Hi, would you two care to say where you're from?"

This pair of Nokis stood a bit shorter than her but were proud nevertheless. One of them gladly answered, "Isle Delfino, the one and only!"

"Wow, some folks from that far down south in the Sunshine Animal Islands?"

"You bet, miss reporter!" The other Noki confidently affirmed, "We're the real underdogs here, and I know our guys are gonna win this tourney!"

"Well, it's great to see you here!" She smiled and nodded, respecting their enthusiasm. "Best of luck to your friends out there!"

Then, a bit further down that particular row of seating, a third couple of young-in-appearance human boys caught the reporter's attention and were approached.

"... Excuse me, would you two mind sharing with our viewers where you're from?" She happily inquired as these two boys turned around, revealing they both had very light and longish blonde hair, but one had bright blue eyes while the other had dark brown.

"Uh, well... I'm from the Bionis, miss!" Streaking his hair to the side, the blue-eyed boy spoke with a thick cockney accent and wore a rather abstract type of clothing. It was a black-reddish color and looked as though it had been pieced together by hand.

The other boy, clad in a dark wool robe, followed up quite formally by saying, "And I hail from Ylisse."

With a curious but excited smile, the reporter inquired further, "Huh... well that's interesting! So one of you is from here on our planet, and the other is all the way from the Aminuss System. Hmm... star-crossed friends from a past tournament, if I could take a guess?"

The boy from the Bionis playfully put his arm around the Ylissean's shoulder and concurred, "Oh yeah miss, go right ahead! You'd be correct with that foresight!"

Finally, a fourth family was granted the microphone and the procedure played once more further down, though the crew still kept to this same seating row.

"Oh, well, we're all the way from Corneria." The wife of this family of anthropomorphic felines happily clarified, to which the Toadette reporter seemed pleasantly surprised.

"Aha, well color me impressed! You know, I might have actually guessed... but maybe it's not surprising, huh?" She joked as they shared a quick laugh and discussed a bit more about this great milestone of a smash tournament.

Then the reporter joyfully turned to the family's trio of young, kitten-like children who had their large pointed cat ears perking straight up. Their eyes also widened, ever so curious from suddenly being live on camera like this. Their parents, however, just gave each other a warm glance before watching them answer the Toadette's questions with polite smiles.

"Y'all excited about today, kids? Is this your first time here in Midair Stadium, or even... visiting the Mushroom Kingdom? How was the trip over here to the Nassazar?" Like with their other interviewees before, it was small talk more or less, but in this case with these Cornerian children, it was wonderful and true to the spirit of the whole stadium around them. There was just so much livelihood and excitement.

Plenty of other news crews were scattered around the entirety of the arena, but this little section that the MCN crew was in attracted many other people's attention. The background of the frame had waving arms from others within viewing range, and the other kids were especially ecstatic and wildly tried to get their own parents' attention; clamoring to them that they were in fact on the news and probably being broadcast live everywhere for all to see who were watching at home.

For them, this was their little moment to try and shine.

"Alright, thanks so much for your time. We hope you enjoy the tournament!" The Toadette happily thanked the Cornerian family as they left, leaving them to their business.

She decided that these were enough interviews for now, because they had a schedule to keep after all. Thus, they began journeying further down the step-laden aisles until they finally reached a larger mid-section platform without any seats. It was an overhanging balcony of sorts, so the crew came to a stop at the railing. Now, without any obstructions, they were overlooking everything once more.

The feeling it gave them was still humbling to the greatest degree. There was no other real way to describe it. Maybe it was just this great contrast to how small they were here in this place as individuals, set against the whole notion that across the stars of Sector N, billions and billions of others felt the same in one way or another.

"... And there you have it folks," She finally spoke after some moments of being silent. "Just a _peek_ at... the range of nations and worlds with us here today."

Like before, her words retained that certain absence of breath while her head kept facing away from the lingering camera. It soon drifted forward to a point just beside her though and slowly began panning around, over her shoulder at the stadium's opened interior. With this perspective, the absolutely grand vista was soaked up in its entirety. The reporter then finished her thoughts aloud, but off camera in favor of preserving the shot.

"... But what I find most amazing, is that this is all _before_ the celebrations even start..."

Indeed, nothing in the tournament had actually begun yet, but what a sight and experience it was to everyone actually there nonetheless. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling, though there was especially something about the first time being here that was the most effective. For someone who was a returning spectator, even though it was still incredible, there simply wasn't quite that same sense of pure awe as the first time ever again.

"... Oh, but look down there to our left...!" The Toadette's eyes beamed as she promptly pointed down and across the arena due to noticing something. She turned back to face the camera and exclaimed, "There we can see the royal balcony, with our Kingdom's dear Princess Toadstool!"

* * *

On the arena's west side, down among all the lower-central seating levels, there indeed was the large royal balcony which protruded out a ways from everything else. Not surprisingly, this was where many of the royal families and various high ranking officials came from lands not only across Planet Neightyvee, but from other worlds all around the sector. A number of them would act as judges of sorts for the tournaments.

Despite some of the seats still being empty, almost every one here in this audience had arrived by now, since being on time was rather quintessential for those at their status. Just the same though, they conversed amongst themselves amid the enthusiastic clamor that saturated the arena's air, and those who were just arriving made their way down the aisles to greet their accomplices in proper fashions.

In part of the very front row sat Princess Peach, her dear elder steward Toadsworth, her rather tomboyish sister Princess Daisy of Sarasaland, the elegant Princess Zelda of Hyrule, and Birdo of Dinosaur Land. Of course, it had been this particular group of rulers which the Toadette reporter had spotted.

Each Princess was dressed in their formal regal attire for this grand occasion, and Birdo was wearing her finest bow that she had, but Zelda was particularly a standout here. Golden strands of precious Hylian jewelry lined along her thick braids of fair brown hair while her pale blue eyes glistened in the warmth of the Nassazar's morning light, which was just now beginning to cascade onto the stadium's entire west side.

"My word, Princess Toadstool!" Toadsworth marveled in his usual earnest manner, "The weather today couldn't have been better, wouldn't you agree?"

Sitting comfortably under the shade of her pink parasol, Peach nodded with a calm smile and looked up through the huge opened roof high above. She quietly observed the icy, crystalline cirrus clouds which were straddling across parts of the cerulean sky. They were naturally one of the only types of clouds to be visible because of Midair Stadium's high altitude, but she also saw how their sun itself seemed to be arriving on time for the day's coming spectacles. The Nassazar peered further over the roof's high edge with each passing minute, granting a vivid illumination to the more and more of the stadium. It flooded their side with that soothing mid-morning warmth to mix in with the occasional laps of cool breeze.

After gently brushing her fair hair back, being mindful of the jewelry, Zelda turned to Daisy and leaned in close with a thoughtful grin. Something a bit devious was obviously on her mind, but Daisy was still looking away from her so she didn't notice the look initially.

"So, Daisy..." Zelda calmly began, "I've heard that your Luigi, younger brother of the revered Mario, might be confronting Link in the first round."

The Sarasan Princess heard her Hylian accomplice, but just clicked her tongue before jokingly responding, "Tsk, well I'd say that's a darn shame for Link then..."

Hearing the unfolding talks beside her, Peach then turned her attention toward her sister and fellow Princesses. "What is, Daisy?"

"Ah, you know sis, Zelda thinks her little Link will beat my _Louie_... pfffttt, as if!" Daisy teased as Zelda simply shook her head with a small grin. Instead, she scoffed a bit before turning to look around the whole arena. Peach just smiled though, because she was thinking about her time with Mario on the castle balcony the night before.

"How 'bout your lovebird, Mario?" An interested Daisy rested her chin on one of her hands and inquired to Peach, "Did he say anything interesting for his match-up?"

"Well," She started, much to Daisy's delight. "Last night he told me he's up against Kirby, and I'm pretty sure he also said they're in the very first match of the opening round. It's interesting, because that's the way it's been for the last few tournaments in a row..."

Daisy nudged her sister on the shoulder, energetically adding on, "And I think for good reason too! They always fire things off with a real bang and get the crowd goin'!"

"Mm, I guess so..." Peach gazed back out at the arena surrounding them, nodding agreeably before thinking to also ask, "Hey Daisy, sorry if I'm bad at remembering these things, but this'll be Luigi's first time in a _big_ tournament, right?"

"Yup, you bet sis!" Daisy seemed perhaps a bit too jovial for what it was all worth, though she nevertheless went on, "It is his first big one, and that's exactly why I'm gettin' myself all pumped up! He's gonna do just great, you'll see!"

Peach seemed to be somewhat critical of her. "But Daisy, you're pretty much _always_ this pumped for anything he's in...!"

"Mhmm," Daisy just nodded and playfully inquired, "And, is there a problem with that?"

"Well, um, maybe what I meant to say is that you're always-"

"... In any case," Zelda then started again, running her fingers softly back along her thick braids of hair a second time. "I'm very much interested to see how this tournament plays out, especially since it is... the bicentennial. I'm just thankful we're all alive in this time and are able to attend such a milestone occasion..."

Peach and Daisy watched her speak on, with the Sarasan Princess doing so in a rather dubious kind of interest.

"But when..." Zelda paused briefly, smiling and going on to tease, "Oh, alright Daisy, I'll grant you the benefit of the doubt. Rather... _if_ Link defeats Luigi, I'm sure he'll still get a fair chance in the loser's brackets."

To this remark, Daisy could only lower her eyelids and scoff a bit.

"Hmph, better watch what'chya say there, Zelda..." She refuted, "You might just end up eating those words. I don't know about you, but _my_ green hero is full of surprises..."

A defiant but playful poke of the tongue was all that came back from the Hylian Princess, before the both of them just shared a laugh. In the end it didn't matter so much about who won or who didn't, because again, that wasn't the purpose of these tournaments. The purpose of them was purely for this friendly competition and a celebration together of their known galaxy's unity. Everyone here knew it deep down all the way to their bones, because the whole scenario going on right now was nothing short of living proof.

While all of this lively activity flourished out here in the arena however, at the same time there was something else going on deeper within the lower bowels of this giant structure. Almost completely out of everyone's sight and mind was the extensive training facility, where all of the smashers were gathering.

This was where the real magic was happening; where everything was being prepared.


	3. Meet the Usual Suspects

**CHAPTER 02 - MEET THE USUAL SUSPECTS**

The training facility was surprisingly cool and refreshing thanks to the intense air conditioning, but that unmistakable scent of hard-earned sweat was still present and pierced everyone's nose who was in here.

 **Music/Song: ****_"Turning to Stone"_**

With the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, iconic red cap off, and white gloves resting beside him on a bench, Mario gently set a small towel around the back of his neck and clenched the ends of it with his half-sweaty hands. His blue eyes occasionally stared across the huge room towards his bracket belligerent Kirby, who if anything, seemed rather happy-go-lucky.

He was hopping around on the large central mat, practicing some of his air kicks and spins while Mario watched from his corner with interest. He sat there on the bench and thought about many things as he slipped his gloves back onto his hands, for he had just been training a bit rigorously himself. Mario wore a red athletic shirt with black shorts instead of his regular overalls, and from the appearance of him now, he'd finally stopped to take a little breather. Soon enough though, his attention began drifting along with his gaze, around to the rest of this training facility.

Quite aptly, the whole interior was situated like a modern gym with workout stations all over, fused with a dojo retaining some traditional elements. Mario observed the numerous draping tapestries which bore the famous black smash insignia, struck across the middle of each and every one. Also hanging along the concrete walls were many large, hand-crafted portrait paintings of all the champions from past tournaments. These paintings were arranged in series and were lining the walls, identified with their correct periods of time.

There was something much more significant to them, however. They weren't just portraits to be in here for show. Each and every one of them was a fervent reminder to all who entered this place. They hung as relics from different times, when past generations of smashers from around Sector N could experience these same feelings and celebrations as the ones that were beginning on this day, so many years later.

Mario's attention shifted again. Now he noticed how there were numerous combatants either already here, or were still arriving through the training facility's entrance. At the very least, they all hailed from other worlds throughout the Nassazar System. There was a select few of the people, however, who were already here that caught Mario's eye in the end. They were some fellow smashers whom he either knew, or had at least heard of in the past due to their fame.

On one bench, the Hero of Time himself, Link, was sitting alone with his long green hat off. He polished the face of his Hylian shield to get rid of any etches, before checking the edges of his Master Sword too. After carefully running his thumb along the blade's edge to make sure it was nice and sharp, he held up the sword and practiced twirling it around a few times before sheathing it again. A small, satisfied grin grew on the corner of his lip, but not a sound came from him. Link was indeed a silent one; so much so that in fact no one, not even Zelda nor his fellow Hylian warriors had ever heard him speak a single word. Perhaps though, it was all hidden within the indescribable piercing quality that his turquoise colored eyes had. They could almost always articulate everything he ever needed to say to anyone.

The next bench over had the land of Kanto's young and celebrated Pokémon trainer, Red, who was making sure his trusty collection of poke-balls were all in order for the coming fights. His little partner Pikachu sat attentively on his shoulder, watching all the others with his ears occasionally fidgeting. Directly in front of them were the other of Red's Pokémon: Jiggly Puff, Squirtle, Greninja, and Charizard. These four took turns maneuvering around one another, getting down proper approaches and practicing counterattacks.

"Hey Jiggly Puff, why don't you show Charizard some tips on how to dodge faster in the air?" Red thoughtfully suggested to the pink balloon Pokémon, who nodded happily and proceeded to do just that with the much more burly fire-type Pokémon. They all loved their young human trainer very much, and were determined to do him proud in this tournament for his friends and family watching back home in Kanto.

Mario then noticed who was trotting into the facility just now. It was Yoshi, his good dinosaur friend, along with some others who hailed from Dinosaur Land way down in the southern hemisphere of Planet Neightyvee. He briefly stopped at a stool and made sure his boots were laced on tightly before he scuttled over to a hanging sandbag. Once there, he began practicing a variety of high kicks and head-butts, which were of course the bread and butter of his fighting style.

Not far from where Yoshi stood, the former heavyweight boxing champion Doc Louis was enthusiastically pep-talking his one and only pupil, Little Mac. They were at a hanging punching bag of their own.

"There you go Mac, just like that!" Louis was eagerly chiming, "Now come on, keep it goin' son! Slug that suckah!"

Mac performed an impressive string of swift but sharp jabs and punches onto the bag, and with a final strong upper cut he sent it rocketing around in circles on its squeaky hanger. Just before he wiped his forehead with his sweaty forearm though, he was granted a towel and congratulated by his energetic coach.

"Woo, baby! That was beautiful!" Louis took a hearty bite of his chocolate bar, and in a mouthful complimented, "Looks like you're a rocket set to jet!"

The young boxer just nudged him gently on his large belly in response, happily acknowledging, "Mm, and it's all thanks to you, Doc."

Last but definitely not least, Mario caught sight of the famed Heroes of the Emblem: Prince Marth of Altea, his good friend Roy, the Radiant Hero and Greil Mercenary Leader Ike, the Shepherd Prince Chrom of Ylisse, and his revered daughter, Princess Lucina. They'd been talking energetically, while at the same time practicing some sword techniques with each other.

"So you see, Lucina? You go like this... _HYAH!"_ Marth raised his Falchion blade and proceeded to demonstrate an elegant yet mighty thrust on a re-enforced sandbag, made specifically for sword training. Lucina and the others watched closely as he performed it.

"Alright, that doesn't seem too hard." The Ylissean Princess grew a confident smirk across her lips. "Here, may I?"

Gladly, the Prince moved aside as Lucina drew her own sword and stepped in front of the sandbag. Taking a deep breath, she briefly closed her dark sea-blue colored eyes and held the blade up, slowly running her hand along the broad side before snapping them open again.

 _"HAHHH!"_ She swiftly released a powerful thrust as Marth had done, though it just wasn't quite as graceful as his.

"Yeah! Pretty good thrust there, Lucina!" Congratulated Roy, clapping at the same time. The blue-haired Princess just rolled her eyes a little though and didn't pay his words much attention, because Roy was the joker of their group more often than not. It was rather difficult to tell when he was actually complimenting someone, or teasing them.

She turned to her distant relative instead and inquired a bit anxiously, "How was that, Marth?"

The Prince smiled thoughtfully for a moment, before earnestly replying, "... Worthy. It was a worthy strike by my eye."

"Worthy, hm..." Lucina nodded with some satisfaction, thinking it over. "Good! But that's also why I'm learning from the _best_ then, no?"

Marth just scoffed, a bit boastful. "Heh, so they all say..."

Chrom had meanwhile been faced away this whole time, but he'd heard everything that went on. He glanced up at the large time display on the wall in front of him, sighing lightly before turning back to face his brethren.

"Well, my good friends," He announced after another moment, mainly to his daughter. "I believe it's about that time. I'd better get back up to my seat on the royal balcony or it may get taken by one of the many more... _stubborn_ regal attendees there. Apparently it happens more often than one would think... so I'd hate if that happened to me. Some of my fellow captains and princes from neighboring Kingdoms are already there, anyway."

Ike came forward, patting his brother of the sword heartily on the right shoulder bearing his mark of Naga.

"Fair enough, we shan't keep you waiting."

Chrom then stepped over to Lucina, who lowered her head somewhat and even closed her eyes briefly in solemnity.

"Father," she softly started, "I... I promise I won't fail. I only want to make you and mother proud."

With a caring smile, he hugged her closely before gently lifting her chin up with a pair of his fingers. Their eyes met as loving father and daughter, but Chrom reassured her by saying, "... And I know you will, Lucina... my dear, sweet daughter. You'll make all of Ylisse proud, because we'll be watching every precise strike you make out there."

She seemed to hesitate a moment, asking in a very low voice, "Um, actually... about mother... Has everything been alright with her?"

"... Yes. We've talked about it many times." Chrom answered in that same reassuring manner, but his daughter sought an absolute confirmation.

"I just remember... she was nervous about letting me take part in this tournament. What did she end up saying...?"

"... She understands now." Assured her father, offering a heartfelt smile to accompany his words of encouragement. Lucina still wasn't sure, however.

"Well, maybe it's just _my_ intuition again... but a lot of what mother said, I overheard. She could always tell when something uncertain was about to happen to me..."

Chrom softly placed a hand on his daughter's cheek. "Lucina... don't say things like that. Think about now, think about today. This is your big day to cherish, because yes... it is your first smash tournament, at the greatest of them all."

"I know it is, father..." She briefly nodded in understanding. A few moments ended up passing, until Chrom suddenly remembered something else.

"Ah, and I can't believe I forgot to tell you, but Severa and her family joined us for the journey over."

Lucina perked up a bit. "Oh... Severa's here too?"

"She is," Her father encouraged after a brief chuckle, "And quite eager to watch you fight! I know she's like a sister to you, Lucina."

"Yes..." She smiled, nodding.

 _"... My tactician's here as well..."_ With that whisper, Chrom went ahead and placed a quick but honest kiss upon his daughter's forehead, thus beginning to take his leave. Lucina raised her dark sea-blue eyes, looking after him and thinking a few moments on his words before making a final request.

"Oh, and Father? Do tell him... I send my regards."

Hearing his daughter's wish, he smiled warmly and turned back one last time.

"I will, Lucina." He promised, "I know Robin probably enjoys watching you fight the most... although, I can't help but suspect there might be something more about this... _feeling_ between you and him...?"

"Ah, you have no proof of that...!" Lucina playfully defended herself by way of a blushing smirk against Chrom's fatherly intuition about there being a possible relationship between her and Robin, his tactician.

"Still, on that thought..." He said after slyly eyeing his daughter for a few moments through squinted eyes, "I wish all of you the best of luck out there."

Chrom's latter words got the other three swordsmen's full attention, because he seemed to be deeper in his thoughts now. He even lowered his gaze a little and smirked as he went on.

"One of these times, before I get that much older... perhaps _I'll_ summon enough courage to try a smash tournament myself..."

"Um, Father...?" Lucina cheerfully reminded him, "You... wouldn't want to keep mother and your seat waiting too long, do you?"

"Oh...! Of course, forgive me. I get a bit carried away sometimes..." Chrom just scoffed and gave his daughter a slight bow. "Alright then, farewell, my fellow heroes. May fortunes always be in your favor, and I guess we'll see each other again when it's all over."

Mario watched the dark blue-haired warrior Prince exit from his spot on the bench across the room. He'd finished up his little survey on the rest of the training facility, but had taken some mental notes on the sheer range of other combatants he'd seen.

They included Koopa fighters, Shy Guys, Toads, Piantas, Nokis, Gorons, a number of weapon-wielding human fighters both male and female, creature brawlers from other lands and worlds, anthropomorphic animal fighters from the Lylat System, and a plethora of others who were still arriving from the outside. Then, all of a sudden, part of the floor started shaking a bit, and everyone cleared a path as Donkey Kong lumbered in with a jovial Diddy Kong skipping just beside him.

Indeed, it seemed everyone was competing in this legendary milestone of a smash tournament from everywhere around the known galaxy.

* * *

 **Music/Song:** **_"Verse for Forgiveness (Instrumental)"_**

 _Oki-doki, looks-a-like almost everyone's here then..._ Mario thought to himself with a satisfied nod, when a very familiar and brotherly voice sounded directly to his left.

"Ciao bro, how's it going?" Luigi patted his older sibling on the shoulder and sat down beside him.

Then, from the training facility's opened exit hall leading straight out into the arena, the massive sounds of the crowds suddenly seemed to flood in past the large glass doors and reverberate everywhere. They even shook the walls somewhat from bellowing with such a muffled yet powerful rumble.

Mario went ahead and put his cap back on, replying with a small sigh, "Well, I'm just-a-waiting for it to begin... as is-a-everyone else, I'm sure."

Not surprisingly, his younger and more skittish brother was fixated on the exit hall where all that sound was emanating in from. After swallowing hard, he stuttered, "Q-quite the c-crowd, wouldn't-a-you say, bro?"

Mario agreed and extended his statement. "Mm, it's-a-the biggest one yet-a-from what I've seen. Take it from me, or just ask-a-anyone else here who's smashed before. The crowd is an initiation-a-by itself."

Luigi could only raise one of his eyebrows a little bit as he thought hard for a moment.

"Look, bro... you know this is-a-my first big smash, so... I'm-a-pretty nervous." He shakily admitted, but Mario simply smiled and put an arm around his shoulder caringly.

"Well," He thoughtfully assured, "I hope-a-you know as well as I do, that you fight better-a-when you're scared. Remember when you had your little snags at-a-the mansion?"

Mario nudged a brotherly poke against the green athletic shirt covering Luigi's chest. _"You_ saved-a-my mustache that time, bro."

He lightened up from these supportive words coming from his older brother, for it was the truth after all.

"You have-a-your moments Luigi, that I know." Mario encouraged him further, "So don't worry, you'll do just-a-fine. We'll all be cheering you on-a-the whole way... especially Daisy, oh mama-mia, yes!"

"... Grazie, Mario." Feeling quite a bit better now, Luigi nodded in agreement with both those inspirations from his brother and with himself.

"Say again bro, who are you versing in-a-the first-a-bracket?" Mario then asked, looking back across the main room for Kirby, though he noticed that he wasn't on the training mat anymore.

"I'm-a-with... L-Link, oh boy...!" Unfortunately, Luigi delved straight back into a state of shakiness and tightened up his face as he answered, because he'd turned to see that Link's turquoise eyes were directly upon him. He'd been observing the two plumber brothers for a while now, though in a friendly gesture he cocked his head back and smiled warmly. It was Link's way of saying 'Hi,' but Luigi fidgeted where he sat and swiftly turned away instead; nervously scratching behind his neck in trying to avoid direct eye contact with the Hero of Time.

Mario, still scanning around the main area of the facility, was surprised to feel a light poke on his leg. He looked down to see none other than the pink puffball gazing up at him with happy eyes as per usual. He held up one of his arms and they shook hands, with Mario's white glove grasping Kirby's puffy appendage.

"Poyo...!" Kirby lightly greeted while Mario gave him a quick pat on his bouncy head.

"Ah, there you are Kirby." He cheerfully replied to the puffy pink Dreamlander, "I was-a-wondering where you went."

"... Excuse me, Mr. Mario!" A friendly Japanese-accented voice then called, to which Mario turned to see its source. It was Marth of course, waving over to him with Roy, Ike, and Lucina also now looking to him.

"How'd you like to come train with us for a bit?" The Prince happily invited as Ike finished off for him, "We'll show you some techniques to use against a blade-wielder."

With such a sense of friendliness in their words, of course Mario couldn't refuse this nice offer even though he'd just been taking a rest from practicing himself. He decided to take them up on it, so Luigi and Kirby watched as he got up from the bench and began to walk over, looking back over his shoulder at them and saying, "Hey you two, you should-a-watch this...!"

The Heroes of the Emblem had become good friends with the Mario brothers from their initial acquaintance during their second tournament together, or what was by now eight long years ago. How the time had passed indeed, because here they were in their fourth one together now. In truth though, all of the smashers who had been together in past tournaments were friends in one way or another, for they all at least knew who each other were.

"Ciao Marth, Roy, Ike, Princess Lucina..." The shorter and slightly portly-in-stature plumber approached the four warriors, greeting them in return. He courteously tipped his cap to Lucina, since he knew of her status but not her personally. She was a first-time smasher here after all. But then, without a word, Marth raised his Falchion blade up in a salute before holding it in front of his face, just like what was done before a duel commenced. Mario stopped and waited patiently, though he wasn't ready at all for what came next.

"... Dodge this!" In what seemed like a flash, Marth enthusiastically dashed forward and caught the plumber completely by surprise. He instantly halted the blade's near-needle-like tip just a few centimeters before the red nylon of Mario's athletic shirt, which was the only layer covering his bare chest.

He could have sworn he even heard the blade's hallowed ring amid all the other sounds in the facility as he stared blankly at the tip, quite taken back. Then he glanced up at the grinning Prince, and back again at the blade before gently nudging it aside with his finger, shaking his head lightly.

 _"Mm, mm..._ you and-a-your speed, Marth..." All he could do was scoff and swallow a quick time while a small strand of sweat ran down the side of his face from that sudden action. "You really got-a-me there...!"

Marth just chuckled, patting him on the shoulder and responding in a mentor-like manner, "And that's without any protecting force of the trophies, too. So you see now, you must be prepared for anything to strike at anytime, really."

Mario was indeed at a loss of words because he could only blink and shift his eyes a bit to the side, seeing what the others made of this. It was Lucina though who stepped in and seemed to back him up by pointing out, "But come on, Marth. You gave him no fair warning at all."

The Prince turned away from the plumber to face her, flicking his cape over his shoulder with just a slight hint of arrogance. "Well, that's kind of the point. I was just proving to him... you can never fully lower your guard, no matter what time it might be."

Lucina darted her eyes down to meet Mario's, giving him a quick little wink past Marth as he was busy talking. The plumber noticed, and he must've figured what she was intending for him to do because an eager smirk grew on his mustached face. A prime opportunity was his for the taking.

He lunged forward and tackled the unsuspecting swordsman by the legs, causing them both to pile up in a heap on the mat. Marth could only laugh though as he was in a sort of surprised disbelief. Mario then quickly scrambled up from being covered under his cape, and once he was standing again he set his shoe down upon Marth's torso and posed with his hands on his hips. The plumber raised his eyebrows slightly, in a kind of _what-was-that-you-were-saying_ attitude.

"Like-a-you were saying, Marth? _Never_ let-a-your guard down?" He teased while Lucina couldn't help but cover her mouth and nose, giggling with a growing blush.

Mario ended up chuckling too. He held out his hand to Marth, who accepted it with his own and was helped back up to his feet. Marth then lightly brushed his fair blue hair aside with his finger tips so it was back to perfection and made sure his garb was wrinkle free.

"That's... that's very true, Mr. Mario..." He nodded in agreement, but couldn't resist following with, "Though I _did_ say not to _fully_ do so, haha...!"

Having watched this whole spiel take place, Ike merely shook his head before shooting a squinted glance to Roy beside him, who had his arms crossed and eyebrows raised. He too was quite unsure of what to think.

"Hmph, _these_ amateur theatrics..." The mercenary muttered pragmatically under his breath, in wake of a soft scoff. "Alright Mario, come stand here in the center. I'll show you the new, _real_ techniques I spoke of..."

Meanwhile, Luigi had been watching his brother this whole time from the bench; though his heart probably skipped a beat after what he witnessed Marth almost do to him. Still, he saw as Mario positioned himself in the middle of the four sword-wielders. They began to attempt some strikes at him from each side, yet Mario simply sidestepped, jumped, and twisted about in the air with an almost natural finesse to avoid every one of them. Some of the other smashers warming up nearby actually stopped what they were doing and began watching him while sporadically cheering, "Yeah Mario, you go! Whoo-hoo!"

Luigi couldn't help but smile at his older brother though, feeling very happy for all this attention he was receiving.

Yes, Mario appeared as a lowly plumber by day, yet he was a household name across the entire Nassazar System. To an extent, he was even known over in the Lylat and Aminuss Systems as well. Of course it was from his many adventures and heroic deeds which he'd done mainly for the Mushroom Kingdom, but he had also done good deeds for some other lands throughout his life. It was also just the plain fact that Mario was one of the more famous smashers to rise through the ranks in recent times.

Luigi on the other hand was there in running the business along with his brother, but he was quite literally the eternal understudy. Despite having gone on some adventures as well, he was the one who nobody really knew about due to always being shrouded in the huge shadow of fame possessed by his brother. Perhaps though, that was just how Luigi preferred it, for he was still happy like this all the same.

One thing was clear enough though. He realized how he was suddenly here in this great smash tournament, anxiously awaiting the beginning of it all. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted however when he felt a touch on his gloved hand. He glanced down to see the always-joyous Kirby grasping it and ushering, "Poyo, poyo!"

Before Luigi knew it, he was being yanked from his comfort there on the bench and guided by the pink Star Warrior out into the middle of the training mat. From across the room though, he then heard Ike say to Mario, "... It's like you're a master at all these techniques already! Huh, I thought we'd be teaching you something new! How many blade-wielders have you smashed against?"

Roy nudged the mercenary on his bare, buff shoulder and whispered into his ear, though he was still loud enough on purpose so Mario could hear him. "C'mon Ike, what do you think? He's gone up against plenty. I mean, he's Mario... _the_ Mario of all people...!"

His shorter subject of interest tilted up the front of his red cap and crossed his arms, grinning. He proceeded to answer calmly, though he was still intentionally a bit boastful.

"Well, you know... sometimes, down in the pipes those screws and bolts burst-a-right out, ricocheting just past-a-my head! On a few occasions, they take-a-my cap-a-straight off with them! So, maybe dodging is-a-something I actually learned from-a-the daily job."

Then came a snicker from Lucina. She was now red in the face from tightly holding her mouth and nose closed, struggling to keep from laughing hysterically. The others noticed and Marth cocked his head a bit to the side, slyly smirking.

"What? What's so _funny_ , Lucina?" He asked her with a suggestively raised eyebrow, as she finally had to let go and take a much needed breather.

"Hah...! It's just... It's just that..." She started, trying to stay her seemingly uncontrollable giggles, "Mario... just has such humor and goodwill in his spirit. I mean, what can I say? I... I love this little man!"

Mario stood with his arms still folded, smiling warmly at her from the corners of his eyes. He knew of course that she meant it figuratively, not literally.

"Everything I've been hearing about him is so true! You know, I honestly think he alone could maintain a certain peace throughout these worlds." The Ylissean Princess said this, but her fellow swordsmen exchanged thoughtful glances with one another. Maybe she was right though; maybe Mario could do such a thing.

"Hmm, and _then_ there's his brother..." Ike commented, gesturing with a tilt of his head over towards Luigi who now stood at a hanging sandbag. He was being joyfully persuaded to fight its inanimate stature by Kirby who hopped up and down, acting as if he were the most enthusiastic coach ever.

"Si, it's-a-Luigi's first time on the big stage." Mario acknowledged as the others also offered his brother their attention.

They watched as Luigi puckered himself up, clapping the sides of his cheeks. Then he began to hack away at the sandbag, mostly with his rapid karate chops. It was quite an impressive display to be sure, though Roy couldn't resist being cheeky when an opportunity presented itself.

"Better watch out, Lucina..." He nudged the Princess's side and snickered in her ear, "Now you have _two_ Mario brothers you'll have to thrust at...!"

At first she just breathed out softly through her nose in annoyance to Roy's juvenile jokes, but then she offered her answer to him by making the flat side of her blade swiftly swing over and swat the red-haired swordsman on his rear. He jumped slightly in place.

"Not unless their fireballs scorch your bad sense of humor first..." She teased right back, "Oh, and that's _two_ for flinching!"

She swatted again, this time harder, to which Roy jumped forward and laughed, "Aha, stop it!"

He quickly withdrew his own sword and raised it, making him and Lucina clash. They stared eagerly but playfully into each other's eyes for several moments, before shuffling about the training mat and laughing energetically during this little tussle.

"Whoa, watch it there will ya?!" Some of the other people training nearby had to promptly leap aside and watch themselves from this cackling, dueling duo.

Yoshi for one worriedly stepped back and got out of the way just in time to narrowly avoid a wide swing by Roy, which barely missed the edge of Lucina's cape and struck the sandbag he'd been at. His blade tore the sandbag open and caused a sandy mess to start piling up on the floor.

"Haha! Better try harder!" Cackled Lucina as the two rumbled on by. Yoshi could only lower his large eyelids, exhaling hopelessly at this comical scene that these two _'heroes'_ were creating.

After a good minute or so of witnessing the whole sight, Mario figured he'd had his share for now. He just shook his head and smiled, concluding with a chuckle, "Alrighty guys, thanks-a-for the fun. Oh, and my money's on-a-Lucina, by the way..."

Marth and Ike were still fixed on their two wild but playful comrades, though they nevertheless offered a friendly goodbye nod.

"Tell your brother we wish him the best!" The blue-haired Prince acknowledged, and with that Mario retired back to his spot on the bench just as Luigi was also returning with an exuberant Kirby still close behind him.

"Hey, how'd it go, bro?" Mario happily asked as his green-shirted sibling plopped down beside him, happy to take a break. Kirby also hopped up onto the bench next to the brothers, interested in their unfolding conversation.

"It was-a-pretty good Mario. Just-a-fine." Luigi answered a bit nonchalantly, but satisfied nonetheless. Mario glanced at him out of the corners of his eyes, impressed how he had gained some more courage.

"There! You see, bro?" He complimented, "You _do_ have it in you. We saw you over there, doing your good old-a chops!"

Luigi felt humbled at that supportive remark and nodded a little bit. He managed to look around a bit but snapped his attention to the training facility's entrance due to noticing something, or rather, someone who was just arriving. His eyes widened a bit, and it seemed like most of that confidence he'd just gained promptly sprouted wings and flew straight out the exit, leaving him bare once more.

"Oh, mama-mia..." He damply groaned, _"He's_ -a-here too...!"

The whole room seemed to quiet down somewhat as the one-and-only Captain Douglas Jay Falcon strode in. This part-time bounty hunter, part-time F-zero racer held a particularly formidable and rather _smashing_ reputation in every sense of the word; something that was obviously not limited back on his home planet of Kyterra.

"Hey-ho, Mario!" He called over to the plumber, flicking his signature two-fingered salute. "Wanna practice a bit while there's still time?"

Mario could only tip his cap in response, gently rubbing the side of his leg with his other hand. "Thanks-a-but no thanks, Douglas. I was just over with-a-Marth, so I don't-a-want to make anything-a-too sore right now."

With a hearty, understanding chuckle, Captain Falcon strutted onto the center of the large mat and began stretching; flexing his very visible muscular stature.

"Gotta make sure your muscles are all stretched out for the fight!" He proudly proclaimed to no one in particular, "Could end up being the only difference between a KO for you, and a win for them!"

Was he trying to show off to everyone else around? Perhaps so, because he then swiftly leaped over to a free sandbag nearby and began beating the living daylights out of it. Even while doing so, he persisted in rambling on about the apparent benefits of stretching.

"It'll make ya feel... free! _HUAHH!"_ He swung around, slugging at the sandbag with powerful force. "But most of all, it'll make ya feel... _REAL GOOD!_ Hahaha!"

These rambunctious announcements of his subsequently attracted him amused stares and snickers from all around the training room. Some people even had to try hard to keep from laughing out loud hysterically. Link for one glanced up and eyed him silently with a hopeless smirk on his face for several moments. After scoffing lightly through his nose, he just shook his head and went back to testing the twang of his Hero's Bow.

First it had been with Roy and Lucina's little spar, but now Captain Falcon was here making an even bigger scene by himself. There truly did seem to be a kind of palpable enthusiasm here in the facility, but it was being saved for the competitions just ahead. Laying beneath it all though, the rivalry of said competition had that unshakable basis; the pure sense of friendly sportsmanship. It was an unforgettable and even enlightening feeling to experience for everyone who participated, but for now, this mood of preparation persisted.

At another sandbag, nearby the one that the F-zero racer was continuously mauling likely just for bragging rights, Donkey Kong began doing likewise. After tightening up his iconic red tie, he hurled his huge fists around and just about pelted the rigid figure while some of the other smashers looked on with a visible hint of wariness upon their faces.

"Ooh, looks like you got some fierce flies out to get'chya, Mac baby!" Doc Louis, upon seeing this himself, pointed out to his boxer who also glanced up and over from polishing his thick green boxing gloves.

The corner of his mouth rose in a smirk though, and he reassured his coach, "You really think so, Doc? Nah... what is it you always say? _'Dance like a fly and bite like a mosquito?'"_

A joyful smile grew over Louis' face and he chuckled, heartily agreeing. "Oh yeah, I'm talking about a _big_ mosquito baby; a great, great big one!"

Mac nodded while offering his own honest chuckle in response. As he did so, he slid one of the boxing gloves back on his right hand and flexed to ensure it felt right. His coach then knelt down and rested one of his large, dark-skinned hands upon Mac's muscular shoulder. He wanted to tell him something more serious, albeit honest.

"Hey, kid... we've come a long way now, and I know this is your first smash tournament like many others here." He solemnly spoke into Mac's attentive blue eyes, "I've seen a number of these tourneys before. One mistake, and it's all over. But out there on the platform... hey, just like in the ring back home, it's all about heart... and I know you have it!"

Mac fully understood these words and offered his true appreciation by replying, "Mm, but like I said... it's all thanks to you, Doc. Really, you taught me everything you know."

Louis could only lean back a bit with his hands on his hips, quite humbled. After a moment though, he calmly tried to insist, "That may be... but it's still _you_ that's got the heart, Mac baby. Say, now _there's_ a nice little rhyme..."

He raised his other hand, as if to take a bite from something, but uttered a small groan instead when he realized the chocolate bar he had was no more. Only the empty wrapper with some melted chocolate residue along the inside remained in his hand. Sighing, he just shook his head with a hopeless smile at Mac, who noticed as well how he'd been so carried away in eating it. He shared a brief but hearty laugh along with him.

"Alrighty Mac, I think that's it from me then." Louis declared with another sigh, giving Mac a final pat on the shoulder. "Looks like all the other coaches are headin' up to the coach's box, so I guess I'll be gettin' up there too... well, that and to get me another chocolate bar anyhow... so it's all yours now, son. Go get 'em, just like back home!"

Mac watched his coach leave with a thoughtful tilt of his head before turning back to face the punching bag. He gazed at it for a little while before holding up his boxing gloves, seeing the contrast to how they appeared against its worn surface. Louis was right; It was just a punching bag, the pair of gloves in his hands, and a big fighting heart that only he could power.

These little things were everything to him in his life after all, and being a part of this great bicentennial tournament was such a special opportunity for the young boxer who was already hailed as a champion back on Kyterra. He smiled at these pleasant thoughts and memories, with those sights and sounds of past moments in the boxing circuits back home sweeping throughout his mind.

 _"Yeah, it'll all be for you, Doc..."_ He nodded slowly, before proceeding to unleash another storm of practice punches on the bag.

Seeing Mac and the other much more physically defined fighters take out their brute strength made Luigi worriedly turn to his older brother and ask, "M-Mario, a-are there normally this-a-many burly fighters...?"

"Mhmm." Mario nodded without a thought and filled him in, "Normally good old cousin Wario, Bowser, Ganondorf, and-a-King Dedede are here too, but-a-they haven't arrived yet which is a bit strange. I wonder where they might be...? Ah, but-a-what am I saying? You can-a-count on them arriving soon."

Luigi swallowed and wiped away a visible drop of sweat that was gathering on his large nose. His thoughts must have been swarming all over the place. Where had that briefly acquired surge of courage he was enjoying gone to?

He could only hope that it would find its way back to him very soon.


	4. Incoming Transmission

**CHAPTER 03 - INCOMING TRANSMISSION**

 **Music/Song:** _**"No Agenda (Instrumental)"**_

From the large hall leading into the training facility, one of the event coordinators entered the main room and looked around for several moments. He was a Shy Guy who wore an official black and blue uniform for the stadium's staff as he waddled onto the large training mat, holding what looked like a round, layered disc object in his right hand. Meanwhile, his left hand adjusted a microphone that was mounted on the side of his hooded head.

 _"Ahum..._ Excuse me everyone, if I could please have your attention for a minute." He cleared his throat and spoke up, getting the smashers' attention via the room's PA system.

"I know this is taking a bit longer than we thought, 'cause we're still getting everyone here and situated, but honestly you guys and gals... thanks so much for your patience. As y'all might also know, some contenders are still on their way, meaning they haven't arrived on the planet yet. So, on that note..."

The smashers listened and observed as the event coordinator went over to press a small button on the wall. The lights in this main room dimmed halfway, and one of the tiles on the bare section of the floor started sliding off to the side. A narrow, rod-like stand then rose up in place of that tile, and he mounted the disc into a slot on the cup-like top. The object flipped sideways, letting out a little whizzing sound as it rotated, but soon after, a bright beam of light shot out from its concave center and illuminated upon the wall right in front of everyone. It was just like a powerful mini-projector.

"Fox McCloud sends a message." The Shy Guy then announced, "He wanted to chat a bit with you guys."

Interestingly, the response was a mixed rise of both thoughtful whispers and annoyed groans coming from the whole crowd behind him. After all, everyone here knew in one way or another that the Star Fox team, or moreover those who hailed from the Lylat System in general, had a powerful standing in the history of these tournaments. Whether or not all those same people were a fan, friend, or something otherwise regarding this celebrated mercenary team from Lylat, that was another story judging by the range of reactions.

"... It's a live video call of course, so if you'd like to be part of the chat, gather right 'round here." He pointed to the back side of the disc object facing them, revealing a dark glass covered area which was the lens.

A number of the smashers, including the others already there from the Lylat System interestingly enough, actually began leaving to go back to what they were originally doing before this little announcement. However, among the ones who stayed were the Mario brothers of course, along with Kirby, Yoshi, Captain Falcon, Little Mac, Link, Lucina, and after some thought, Ike as well. Marth and Roy were among those leaving though, because it seemed they had better things to do than take part in a video chat. Nevertheless, Mario definitely seemed eager and nudged Luigi on the shoulder.

"C'mon bro," he warmly started as his brother faced him a bit unsurely, "Let's-a-say hi to Fox."

The brothers found a nice spot right near the front of the group as they and the others remaining there waited patiently for the projected image to show something.

"Should be coming through... aaaany second now..." Assured the coordinator. "He said he'd get on a few minutes or so after I talked with- oh, never mind, there we go!"

Practically right after those words left his mouth, both the image and sound flickered briefly before cutting to a relatively smooth feed of what looked like the top of a desk, surrounded by a rather dimly-lit interior of a futuristic room. Then, hurrying into frame from the left side was the young and panache Fox McCloud himself. He took a seat in the chair in front of the webcam on his end, just so his upper profile was filling most of the view. Quite surprisingly, he was wearing nothing but a white tank top and tight athletic shorts over his semi-wet and ruffled fur which bristled out from the sides. It actually looked a bit amusing upon first sight to Mario and the others.

"Hey there guys," he warmly opened, making himself comfortable in the process. "Sorry for the slight wait. Just hopped out from a quick shower when I got the call. You know how _that_ can happen, am I right... or am I _right?"_

Some of the smashers chuckled casually in a thoughtful agreement as the vulpine immediately noticed the Mario brothers standing there at the front of the group. His ears perked up and his green eyes widened, beaming with happiness. His thick, bushy white-tipped tail even flicked a quick time or two behind his back.

"Mario!? Hey there _Pisano_ , how's it going? It's been a while, man!"

The plumber waved back, hailing in return, "Ciao, Fox!"

They truly seemed joyous so see each other, because Fox was right; it had been quite a while since they last talked.

"Say," Mario expanded on that very notion, "How long has it-a-been... about a year, maybe?"

"Yeah, I think about that long..." Fox followed right up with a shake of his head. "Sheesh, time just flies so fast these days. There you are now, talking to me from the training room, with all the _usual suspects_ behind you... haha!"

Mario scoffed and smartly came back with, "Aha, don't you mean I'm-a-with the usual _smashers_ who always win, Fox?"

"Heh! Yeah, maybe I do mean that... but whoa, hold the freakin' trigger...!" Fox realized just then who was actually standing right beside Mario.

"... Is that your little bro Luigi I see? He's in _this_ tournament?!"

Now becoming more excited, he scooted forward in his chair to see his computer screen more clearly. It was indeed who he thought it was, so he greeted, "Hey there, Luigi! Great to see you're a part of the gang now too!"

The younger green-shirted sibling offered a small, bashful wave of his own back to the live image of the pilot and uttered, "H-hello, F-Fox..."

Mario just chuckled and replied in place for him, "Yep indeed, my bro's here to smash-a-for real this time!"

Fox folded his furry arms and nodded as he listened, his maw slightly agape. "Well that's just awesome! I can't wait to see him in action! Who are you up against in the first round, Luigi?"

"Ehh, well... I'm-a-with Link." He clarified after a brief moment of hesitation. Link was actually standing just a few people behind him, though he did nothing except cross his arms and retain a thoughtful smirk. He didn't want to intervene with anything here and just figured he'd let the conversation run its course, wherever it was going to go next.

"Oh man, I can already tell that'll be an intense smash! You might just have my money down on you, Luigi!" Fox was definitely energetic in his support, prompting Mario to gently nudge his brother on the arm and smile along. Of course he felt happy for Luigi, because it sure was nice to have someone like the leader of the one-and-only Star Fox team supporting him. Luigi just ended up smiling too though, because more of that inner confidence seemed to be returning at last.

Little Mac then began on somewhat of a tangent by commenting, "Hey man, I kinda hate to lay it to ya like this... but it looks like you've got quite a rivalry _and_ a distance between your fellow Lylatians here. They looked sorta ticked when they heard your name and didn't even wanna stay here for the chat."

"Pfftt...! No sweat at all there, boxer. You know, I kinda figured they wouldn't." Fox scoffed, waving off the notion by being both somewhat amused and boastful at the same time. "I'll bet I know who all those _wanna-be's_ are anyhow... and hey, they're probably just jealous 'cause we're Star Fox!"

Mac shifted his eyes sideways, interested to see what the others next to him might be thinking about this unrelenting swagger in Fox's words. Most of them either chuckled again, or were trying to keep thoughtful expressions on their faces. Luigi was unsure of what to say as per usual, but it was Mario who just kept on smiling. He knew it was only because Fox was as excited for this eventful week as the rest of them were.

"So, Fox... How are things with-a-Krystal back home?" The mustached man thought to ask in a friendly follow up, to which the vulpine relaxed his arms behind his head and leaned back in the chair. One of his pointy ears twitched a quick time, but a mischievous smile had grown across his muzzle.

"Whoa, whoa... not so fast there, ya little _Cardinal._ Only if you tell me how your Princess is doing first!"

Mario lowered his eyebrows amid a grin of his own and refuted, "Hey, who are you-a-calling a _little Cardinal_?"

Playful banter like this going between Fox and Mario was the type that was definitive of any great friendship. It was even almost brotherly; the sound of joking voices, yet it held that underlying sense of honesty being both sent and received by one another.

"Anyways, Peach is doing-a-fine." Mario happily explained, "We had a sendoff party yesterday evening at-a-the castle. There was tea, cake... friends, family... then she and I stargazed-a-for a while late last night. We ended up forgetting just-a-how late it got, because it was-a-so romantic."

"Hehe," Chuckled Fox, "Sounds just like what you see in the movies... but, it _is_ romantic too like you said, I guess..."

He may have been half-teasing, but he was still cheerful with sincerely positive intentions since he followed with, "Well, Krystal's doing just fine too, buddy. I feel kinda bad for her though, because she couldn't make it here this time to watch."

"Oh, she couldn't come?" Inquired the mustached man, quite surprised by this news.

"Mm, yeah, unfortunately not." Fox went on, "It's 'cause of her damn duty schedule back at base. The Brass is suddenly making her do double reconnaissance time for _some reason_ , but she promised me she'll try to see it all on TV. Hmm, I just hope she'll do it..."

Mario smiled, assuring his Cornerian friend with what he figured were the right words. "... Fox, she _will_ do it. She'll-a-do it for you. Know that."

The vulpine pilot was not only delighted, but initially at a loss of words himself. A heartfelt smile quickly grew on his face though.

"Aw, gee Mario... thanks buddy." After another moment, he answered in pure gratitude for Mario's kind words. "I just wish I was there to give ya a big hug right now...!"

As with the Heroes of the Emblem, but on more of a personal level, Fox and Mario had indeed been great buddies since they first met four tournaments ago. It was back when Fox had actually just become a teenager. During that tournament, he was the youngest first-time smasher there and was rightfully very nervous, but it was the good-willed Mario who decided to make an acquaintance with the young vulpine and took it upon himself to show him the way things were done, at least from what he knew since it'd been his first time smashing as well.

Over the more recent years when they weren't on any vital missions to save the Lylat System yet another time, the Star Fox team would occasionally travel over to the Nassazar System and meet up with the Mario crew just to hang out for a while. They would share time, catch up on the latest things from their lives and worlds, and just do all those fun things together that great buddies do.

"If-a-you don't mind me asking, did you not have time-a-to come over or something this past year, Fox?" Mario then thought to ask, since he'd been thinking on that whole notion of _being there with him._ Fox, however, seemed to have some very different feelings on it.

"Yeah well, you know... it's weird, actually." He tried his best to explain after scratching behind his large, pointy ears. "This'll sound like it's coming outta left-field, but... tell me you guys have heard of Andross and the Venomians, right?"

Mario and most of the others there fell very quiet, for they knew exactly who he was talking about. Even some of the other smashers nearby turned their heads briefly, because any news or information regarding war criminals like him spread very quickly around the entire sector.

"Well, okay, let's be honest here..." Fox then admitted with a brief scoff, "Who _wouldn't_ know about that prick and his so-called army? But anyhow, they've been strangely... _quiet_ these past several months which is something they've never done before, at least in my years serving. They always go out and cause a ruckus somewhere around Lylat, so this has kinda been like a wild goose chase for the Brass back home. Orders were for us to go on... I don't know how many week-long recons that led to no fruit whatsoever. I guess they have a right to be nervous though... because I'll be honest, I wasn't willing to take any chances either."

"Aha..." Mario let all that information percolate for a moment before seeking a final clarification, "So... that's-a-why you couldn't-a-have time?"

Fox sighed briefly and nodded, answering, "In short, yep. Believe me, I feel pretty bad about it too. I promise we'll try to visit soon. Hey, maybe even right after the tourney's done, how about? Not unless duty calls again, like it always seems to these days..."

"Mm, does it ever..." Agreed the plumber as that rather awkward silence in the conversation continued, but Fox then quickly shifted back to a positive mood.

"... Agh, but come on guys... why are we even talking about _that stuff_ right now, am I right?!"

Everyone there for the chat, including Mario, definitely agreed because they immediately lightened back up too.

"Let's get back to the good vibes!" He became more excited as he went on to share, "Well, the Great Fox actually just came out of warp speed a few minutes ago. Man, you guys should see the star fields right now as we're entering the Nassazar. I know I've been with up here with them my whole life pretty much, but wow, just... something about them right now. Hang on a sec..."

He picked up the webcam on his end, causing some clattering hisses of static from the fumbling.

"Here, can you see out the window, sorta..?" He tried turning his camera so it faced out the large pane-glass window that ran along the far side of the room. "There are nebulae... streaking across the whole view. It's so beautiful."

Mario and the others squinted, trying to get a closer look, but unfortunately they only saw an image full of incoherent streaks and blurry spots amid that black void out the window.

"How does it look on y'all's side?" Fox's muzzled face peered into frame from the side, checking to see if they could in fact witness what all he was describing.

"Ehh..." Mario seemed a bit regretful as he admitted, "Sorry Fox, it's just-a-too... _fuzzy."_

With his face still taking up half of the frame, the vulpine's green eyes lowered and his expression morphed into a very sarcastic look. Then he began clapping, slowly.

"Aww, come on... Is that _really_ the best one you could think of?"

A blush quickly grew on each of the plumber's cheeks as he realized the _punny_ way that Fox actually took it.

"Oh, um, sorry... I didn't mean it quite like-a-that...! Hehe...!" His embarrassed attempt to save some face was met only with more casual laughs from the others just behind him. Even Fox couldn't help but chuckle a bit too while he returned to the table, setting the camera down before seating himself once more. He rested his elbows on the top, and let the bottom of his maw sit upon his knuckles.

"Ah, it's all cool Mario." He jokingly went on, "Puns... I mean, what can you do about 'em? I guess you just take 'em when you get 'em, but yeah... you'd think with all these improvements in trans-sectarian tech this past year alone, they'd get their asses on fixing the actual streaming quality of video calls too. Anyhow, I really wish you guys could see what it looks like up here."

"I think-a-I know what you mean." Mario shared some of his own relatable thoughts, "When Peach and I were out-a-last night, the weather was-a-perfectly clear. The sky, the stars, even the other planets were-a-so beautiful too."

The vulpine kept resting his broad chin on his knuckles, smiling. "Oh yeah, I'll bet!"

After a few moments, Captain Falcon then called from a bit further behind.

"... So, ya almost here then, Fox ol' buddy?"

Fox shifted slightly in the chair, being silent at first. He brought up his bushy white-tipped tail and brushed his anthropomorphic hand through it as he thought for a moment. His eyes even squinted, darting away from the camera as though he were feeling somewhat ashamed of something.

"Agh... Yeah, about that, Cap..." He finally answered a bit regretfully, "We're actually gonna be _missing_ the opening ceremony..."

The F-zero racer's face lowered in disappointment and his gaze dropped to meet Mario's glancing back at him. In fact, everyone who remained here for the chat seemed to be a bit let down by Fox's surprising announcement. Mario turned to hear what the Shy Guy coordinator, standing off to the side with his arms crossed, had to say about this. He confirmed it though with a brief nod.

"Yup. He's already told me everything. Everyone higher up on the coordination staff knows they'll be arriving a bit late too, along with the others."

Mario turned back and was about to inquire why, but the vulpine filled them in by explaining, "It's 'cause we departed a few hours late off of a sudden matter back home. It really sucks I know, but Doug..." He leaned a bit closer to the webcam with a confident grin.

"... You can bet your _Blue Falcon_ we're sure as hell gonna be watching it. Besides, we'll still get there in time for our first brackets 'cause we don't start 'til later. I'm pretty sure I'm in bracket twelve, or somewhere 'round there."

Captain Falcon now puckered his lips somewhat, nodding and acknowledging that idea as Mario then asked, eager to know, "Say... speaking of-a-blue and birds, where's your wingman, Falco? He's-a-with you too, right?"

"Psshh..." A light scoff was all Fox needed to utter before answering with just a hint of sarcasm, "Oh, hell yeah! Like he'd ever wanna miss this tourney! Right now though, well, I think he's up in the bridge helping Slippy with something. That, or he's just flat-out ignoring Slippy and practicing some kicks instead. Heh, I'd probably bet he's doing the second option..."

"Ah yes, the famed fighting pheasant! How fares he?" Now it was Lucina who finally spoke up, using her little play-on words to keep this lighthearted and happy mood going between them all.

Fox initially looked around the room he was in, as if to make sure no one else could be listening to him before he followed rather quietly with, "Well... just between you guys and me, Falco seems really, _really_ full of himself this time. He won't shut his beak about how he's gonna make everyone get down and suck his di- _ahum_...!"

He managed to stop himself just in time, pretending to cough and clear his throat, because he remembered the royal status of who he was actually talking to and didn't want to be that crude. Lucina just lowered her face however, sarcastically unfazed at what the next word would have been anyways. It was hopeless; it appeared that she couldn't catch a break from this ongoing juvenile crudeness coming from the more energetic boys.

Several of the other guys let out a small chuckle as Fox tried hard to keep a straight face as he went on, gesturing with his claws, "Mm, excuse me there... I had something in my throat. But you get my drift... right, Princess of... Y-Ylisse, was it?"

"Perhaps I do..." She retorted, a bit pragmatically and under her breath.

The Star Fox team might have been well known across the entire sector for their own heroic deeds, but groups like them were also sometimes known for having a particularly crude brand of the coined-term _mercenary humor._ On more rare occasions in public, it was unfortunate that many people overheard them at the wrong time, and formed the very biased view that most Cornerians were in fact bad mannered like that, when in reality it was most certainly not the case.

Meanwhile though, when Lucina had been talking, Ike had glanced over at her a few times and finally found the time appropriate to add something of his own to the chat.

"I think you and I can talk pretty straight as mercenary to mercenary," He proudly announced, "So I say... let's see that feathered fowl get past _my blade_ first!"

Ike stepped forward and held up his great sword so it was pointed directly into the camera. The broad tip of his blade ended up being poised just a mere couple of centimeters away from the lens on their side, so much so that Fox widened his eyes and even had to lean back a bit from the effect.

Lucina eyed him from the side with an amused kind of disbelief, shaking her head lightly at his cheesy act. She couldn't help but emit the smallest and cutest giggle, thinking back on how Ike had made fun of _amateur theatrics_ only a few minutes before.

"Oooohhhh, snap!" Fox then exclaimed, shaking his furry hands in front of his face in a _don't-hurt-me_ kind of manner. He joked and pretended to be scared in response but followed with, "You know Ike, if Falco were here right now and heard that, he'd reach right through this screen and strangle ya!"

"Ha..." Ike drove his confident point home with a sly wink, "Well tell him, I'd love to see him try."

Fox had his muzzle somewhat covered with his hands, but nodded his head in addition. "Mm, maybe I will... but now it sounds like it's _not only_ Falco with this... cockiness."

He stated that rather suggestively, yet the Greil Mercenary leader remained totally firm on his stance.

"I guess then, it's just the way I'm feeling too." He simply shrugged in reasoning.

The Shy Guy event coordinator finally stepped forward after glancing at that time display on the large wall opposite of them, though he gave them another few moments before speaking up.

"Alright all you social butterflies," he started, probably hating to break their conversation because he appeared somewhat apologetic. "It's getting to be about that time, so we'll have to let it end here. Finish up any last things you want to say."

He was right, so Mario nodded as he and the other smashers here at the chat also agreed.

"Well Fox," the plumber began to bid his farewell with an accompanying sigh. "It looks like-a-we have to go now, so I guess-a-we'll see you out on-a-the platform."

The pilot, still relaxed in his chair with his arms behind his head, flicked a small military-like salute back. "Yeah, I heard the man, so likewise to you, Mario. Just look at me, I still gotta get dressed and everything! Oh, and hey, Luigi... well, all of you guys really... hope it's a great time out there during the opening ceremony. I've heard the crowd is absolutely huge for this one."

"Huge...?! You bet your fur coat it's huge!" Captain Falcon energetically confirmed, "Heck, it's gotta be about _two-hundred thousand_ by now!"

He was almost uncontrollably twitchy throughout his body language from just thinking about it, but then, from behind the F-zero racer's attention, Link made an amusing gesture for Fox. He subtly pointed to the back of Captain Falcon before twirling his other finger around his ear and rolling his eyes, implying that he might in fact be a tiny bit on the unhinged side of things. Fox nevertheless caught sight of this and just about burst out laughing.

"Haha! You're sure a quiet but clever one, Link!" He clapped with delight at the Hero of Time, pointing a gun-style finger at him. It was lucky for Link though, because just as Captain Falcon turned around suspiciously to see what Fox meant, he stopped doing the motion in time and shrugged instead; pretending to be unsure of what he was trying to get at.

"But-a-really though," Mario added his final thought. "Just-a-wait 'til you actually see it-a-for yourself!"

With a last friendly chuckle and nod, Fox acknowledged, "Indeed I'll have to, and that's the thing... I can't wait! Alright then, take care all of you guys... and girls. I'll tell Falco and the others you said hi... and I might just tell him of your _little challenge_ , Ike!"

"You do that, and I'll be waiting for a reply from him!" The mercenary remained fully confident.

"S-safe travels the rest of-a-the way, F-Fox." It was Luigi of all the people there at the chat who got to have the final say surprisingly, but perhaps it was because he really wanted to. He'd mostly been holding back this whole time after all.

"Will do, little green. _Smash brothers 'til the end,_ friends." With that, Fox held up his fist against his chest in a sort of symbolic, brotherhood-like gesture that his fellow smashers on the other side of his screen were very quick to grant the same back to him.

 _"Smash brothers 'til the end."_ They all chimed in unison.

A period of silence followed closely in the wake of those last, unifying words for everyone there. They watched as the projection of Fox's profile cut off, back to the blank wall. The event coordinator then came forward to disconnect that disc object from the stand, pressing that button on the wall again, which caused the stand to retract back into the floor and cover up with the automated tile. Over the room's PA, he gave a new announcement to all the smashers.

"Okay everyone, it's getting to be about that time. If you could please begin pairing up with your designated opponents for the first round, and go ahead and gather right here in the center..."

The Shy Guy walked off toward the crowds of others whilst talking indistinctly, leaving the trio of Mario, Luigi, and Kirby alone with one another.

"Now, wasn't it-a-nice to see Fox again, Luigi?" At last Mario asked his brother for an opinion, to which he gave a thoughtful shrug back.

"Ehh, I suppose it was, bro. At least he seemed to support me..." The more he thought about it though, the more that idea of Fox's enthusiastic support grew on him.

"Hmm, the leader of-a-Star Fox, supporting me... _ME._ Oh yeah...!" Luigi began to grin largely. He could really feel that inner confidence of his returning more and more.

"Of course he believes in you, both Fox and-a-probably Falco too. They're almost like-a-cousins to us, you know..." Mario stopped and thought a moment before going on, "And speaking of which, where are Wario and-a-Waluigi anyway?"

Luigi took off his cap and rubbed his forehead as he tried to explain, "Remember at-a-the party last night, they said they had-a-to leave early for some _business?_ They said they didn't have-a-time for _this tournament_. Can you believe that, Mario? They're probably in-a-the shop again, making-a-more micro-games or something for-a-money. You know how they are whenever they're over in-a-Diamond City."

"Well, they do have-a-some _strange friends_ over there, I'll say that..." The older sibling nodded agreeably while Kirby occasionally gazed at the both of them, interested in this conversation the two were having.

"Poyo?" He wondered as Luigi took another look around the facility, seeing how all the other smashers were beginning to pair up with their partners.

"So, ehh..." He was thinking of what else to ask that would help pass the remaining time. "W-who else was arriving late again? Not everyone is-a-here yet."

Mario counted on his fingers as he listed, "Well, Fox and-a-Falco of course, the _burlies_ as you put them, Bowser, Ganondorf, King Dedede, some brawlers from-a-the Planet of Nations, and... hmm. There's someone I know I'm-a-forgetting..."

From below, Kirby's pink appendage reached up and tugged on the side of the plumber's red shirt while he informed, "Poyo!"

Mario's face brightened. Thanks to Kirby he'd recalled the last major smasher of those late-arrivers.

"Ah yes, grazie Kirby!" He chuckled, "Gracious, how could I-a-forget? It's-a-your fellow Star Warrior and mentor, Meta Knight of course."

Luigi nodded thoughtfully and seemed to silently repeat those words he'd just heard in trying to keep at ease with himself.

"Heh, both fast and-a-burly smashers...? Well, maybe it's not... ehh, _too bad,_ I suppose."

Mario then leaned in close and said, "If anyone, I'm-a-worried about _you_ if-a-we do get to face each other later on!"

His brother blushed slightly, but shook his head and tried to admit, "G-grazie bro, but... f-face you...?! I... I'm-a-not better than you, Mario. You've been here, smashing-a-many more times than me."

To this, Mario simply raised an eyebrow amid a smile, and asked in a very supportive and brotherly manner, "Ah come on Luigi, haven't you ever heard of-a-beginner's luck?"

Luigi didn't quite know what to say to this, because it was a very good point. Anything could happen on someone's first time in a tournament. He gazed with his mouth slightly agape from being at a loss of words, but then another sudden wave of energetic guitar riffs and massive-sounding rock n' roll music blasted in from the arena outside. It all came channeling through the exit hall with such force, straight past those glass doors and flooding everyone's ears throughout the training facility.

This was the sign. It seemed that Sector N was now ready for them.

The celebrations were about to begin.

"... Oh!" A last quick realization came over Mario as he stood back up, catching sight of some angelic warriors across the room. "Mama-mia, it just-a-hit me... You know who else couldn't-a-make it here this time either?"

His brother could only shrug. "W-who?"

"Our angel friend, Pit."


	5. Past Regrets

**CHAPTER 04 – PAST REGRETS**

 **Music/Song:** **_"The Visionary"_**

Somewhere across the vast and brilliant blue skies of Planet Neightyvee was the heavenly realm of Skyworld. This was of course home to the angel beings who abided in ancient temple structures, boasting wonderful architecture that was comprised entirely out of stone. Like the seemingly endless cloudscapes surrounding it all, Skyworld levitated here without any movement nor sound, as though it were a place frozen in time.

Only the near-constant yet gentle atmospheric winds could be felt within the stark white light of the Nassazar sun, shining down in its equally divine splendor. The gusts curled and wove their way in-between the numerous giant stone pillars of a particularly huge temple, which was topped by a grand marble statue bearing huge, extended angelic wings.

It was one of the Goddess of Light quite appropriately, yet despite all these gorgeous temples, statues, and monuments scattered across the far reaching blankets of clouds, the whole place looked and felt completely baron. It seemed that not a single soul was here, but there indeed were.

Just like the rest of Sector N on this day, not even the attention of these estranged angels could be turned from watching the next great smash tournament's opening ceremony. After all, some of their own kin were also down there participating.

* * *

 _* The Temple of Communication *_

Deep in one of the stone halls of that huge temple, someone was standing there all alone in the dark. It was the young hero angel, Pit.

He appeared completely motionless from behind, but he was leaning over something that emitted a soft, ethereal light upward; making the silhouette of his upper body glow amid the surrounding darkness. The source of this light bloomed from one of the mysterious altars of observation, which allowed someone a very special way to see and hear other places anywhere across Neightyvee, and possibly other worlds as well.

Pit stood with his hands resting upon the altar's cold rim, not moving a single muscle in his body whilst he stared down into a silky mirage of the water. A portal-like feed showed the arena inside Midair Stadium, with all its brilliantly sunlit flags and banners being released to fly out in the day's breeze from those many balconies and seating levels.

All of this brought a tranquil and truly heavenly ambiance to the otherwise dark stone hall whence Pit stood in. The sound was spacious; like that of a distant echo, shimmering with faint tones of that massive stadium music, voices, and other aural wonders that came from down there. Everything resonated around this chamber, and even wandered out into other empty halls of the temple as the young angel gazed into that beautiful mirage almost longingly.

A certain sense of what looked like melancholy seemed to stir deep within his blue eyes. How he yearned for a feeling he once might have known, as the altar showcased all the joy and liveliness that he was apparently missing out on. His thoughts kept churning slowly, until something prompted just about everything in his mind to scatter.

"Remember, Pit... you could be down there too." A soft voice suddenly rose from behind him. He turned around and saw that it came from the ethereal Goddess of Light herself, Lady Palutena.

"You could be about to walk out like everyone else... out into the people's love and admiration." She was approaching him, ever so elegant in her near-silent walk across the stone floor. Her golden rings and jewelry clinked softly, with only the lightest of taps sounding up from her shoes as she strode.

"... Some other, _lesser_ mortal down there probably ended up taking your place." She went on with a small smirk, occasionally glancing down at her feet, "And that's one less angel who can set foot in the stadium."

From the look on Pit's face, he'd clearly been made uncomfortable by her sudden presence. He lowered his head before answering under his breath, "... But I told you, Lady Palutena... I just wanted to watch this time. Remember I hurt my leg last week?"

The Goddess of Light quietly walked up beside her angel and peered into the altar with him a few moments, before turning her vivid emerald colored eyes to look at the side of his head. Her soft lips hesitated; only retaining a half-smile by now, because it was also quite clear to her that he was trying to pretend she wasn't there. Still, Palutena lightly ran the tips of her fingers up along Pit's shoulder closest to her.

"It's a bit curious though..." She started again, "Why didn't you at least want to go and, you know... actually _be there_ to watch your fellow angels who _are_ down there right now?"

Practically the moment she finished that little inquiry, Pit answered right back, "I'm watching right now though, aren't I?!"

Those sharper words echoed around the hall for a moment, but his eyes quickly darted down and around the dark floor in trying to conjure up some kind of an excuse. He just couldn't grasp one though, so he was left standing there, frustrated. Palutena meanwhile half-squinted her own eyes, glinting a bit in the altar's shimmering light.

"Is it... just because you were _beaten_ last time, Pit?" She calmly thought to ask, but it seemed the mark was struck right on the head. She could see her angel trying his best to hold back a sour expression on his face, but it ended up breaking through so he marginally pivoted his head away from her even further.

The Goddess seemed to understand his apparent guilt though, and wanted to reassure him.

"Pit, remember there's absolutely no shame if you take a loss in these tournaments..."

His head remained motionless, but his eyes shifted back towards her ever so slightly; out of a kind of disbelief in the comfort that she was trying to give him.

"The reasons for them are... well, they've _always_ been for everyone's enjoyment and showing our unity throughout these stars we all call home, but that's beside the point I'm trying to make here."

 _Oh, really? What the heck is THAT even supposed to mean?!_ Pit's sarcasm stormed through all the thoughts already boiling in his mind. _Sheesh... I KNOW all this stuff already! If you'd just say it to me straight and not do this stupid explaining all the time, I'd MAYBE be in the mood to-!_

 _Ahem... You know I can hear your thoughts, Pit. Why oh why do you even try this with me?_ The Goddess smugly narrowed her eyes at her young angel, who's face was concurrently becoming a visible shade of pink out of embarrassment. He fidgeted with one of his arm bands, and must've even been bitterly grinding his teeth together as well.

 _What it's supposed to mean, is that..._ She initially continued by her telepathy, but then switched midway back to her actual voice, "... Having a record like yours is better than many smashers could even dream of. I just feel that many people... all _your fans_ , are disappointed that a _champion_ like yourself isn't returning."

The angel continued staring distantly into the surrounding darkness of the hall, but he slowly nodded after thinking deeply on it for some moments. Pit had been a famous long-time smasher since he was an immortal being of Skyworld, and he'd racked up an impressive record of victories against defeats. In fact, for the longest time he had six victories against one loss, which was considered very impressive.

That was the only shattering defeat on his whole record however, which was toward the end of the previous tournament four years earlier. This loss had been all the way up in the semifinals, and it was that lingering bitterness which was now causing him to want to skip this tournament altogether.

"... Yeah, it may have been a good fight that last time..." He finally began, rather nonchalantly as he actually faced her. "But... _Link_ was just a cheater. Even when he was down... I was robbed of my victory, and I can't forget that. You remember... right, Lady Palutena? I wasn't just beaten... I was _played_ into losing."

The Goddess kept eyeing him unsurely as he went back to watching the waters in the altar, trying his best to ignore her persisting presence.

"Well, if I could just say..." She began with a sense of admittance, recalling her own views. "It sure seemed like a fair match to me... an exciting one I'll admit, but you hesitated several times near the end where you could've finished Link right there. He took advantage of that time, and ended up using your own technique against you. _C_ _heap_ is hardly the word I'd use to describe Link in that smash. I'd actually say he was the one being smart, bold, even dashing..."

She shifted her gaze back down to Pit since she'd been looking upward while remembering, but she could see him shaking his head lightly and biting down on his lower lip, totally in denial of the whole notion. Now her patience was being tested, so she just let out a somewhat agitated sigh.

"Look, Pit. How have you been so alright with yourself these past few years if it's something that bothers you so much?" Her once caring tone had become noticeably more impatient as she tilted her head, in an almost demanding manner.

"I don't understand... I've never seen you in such a downer mood like this up until today; until right _now."_

A full minute of apathetic silence seemed to go by until her angel finally lifted his head up and vaguely smiled into nothing, still avoiding any sort of eye contact.

"... Lying to myself, I guess." He let out very pragmatically, "I was just forcing everything back, locking it all away somewhere... and then I put on a little happy face, just to say everything's alright... when of course it isn't. That's how I did it, Lady Palutena. It's just my guilt... and my happy face of _shame."_

Palutena was quite shocked and almost at a loss of words. She'd never heard Pit talk like this before. All she could do was warily ask, "Pit... seriously, what's the matter with you...? Have you... _forgotten_ what it's like to be down there with all your friends...? What happened to that energetic little angel I knew so well from-!"

"No, Lady Palutena... I don't think I've forgotten." He bluntly interrupted her, being fully adamant as he went on, "The thing is... maybe, there are just some of us who don't want to be a part of this anymore."

"What are you saying...?" The concerned Goddess demanded, but Pit didn't give any leeway.

"I think you _know_ what I mean..." He countered, "Maybe, I'm just _finished_ with these smash tournaments."

"How... how can you even say that!?" Palutena stared down her nose at him with a strong sense of disbelief. "But you've been to so many of them. You were always a great fighter, and still are... but you've misguided yourself. Do you even realize what this special tournament is that you're missing out on?"

"But I haven't, Lady Palutena!" Pit fired right back, trying to stand his ground even though there was obvious complaining in his voice now. "It's something I should _never_ forget, because it's the _way_ I lost! It was a complete joke! You just don't wanna admit it...!"

"I... what?!" The Goddess struggled to make sense of what he was saying. "Do you expect me to believe you'll just spend the years watching all the tournaments from now on, way up here from your little temple of isolation?"

"Hmph, _maybe..._ " The angel was becoming more of a smart-alec, and Palutena had just about had enough.

"Does it make you feel happy or something, being all alone in here?"

He promptly turned to her in response and snapped, "Yeah, as a matter of fact I _WAS_ happy until _YOU_ showed up!"

The Goddess stood there, shocked. She couldn't even find anything to say back to that sharp spike in Pit's voice, now that this conversation had turned into an argument and wasn't going any other direction.

Her lips were clamped shut and she hopelessly shook her head, before turning to walk away from her angel who remained standing rigidly in front of the altar. That is, before another thought crossed her mind. It caused her to come to a stop once more in the middle of the hall, between the altar and the arched exit as she thought deeply for a few moments. The right words found her at last, as even the halo above her head began to gleam that symbolic shape of her aurora.

"Pit..." She finally started again, calmly. "All these years I've held this back on purpose, but a loss like this is a part of life for any being. It doesn't matter if they're immortal like us, or otherwise."

She turned to face upon Pit's backside and solemnly elaborate on her point.

"We all must face it sooner or later, and in your case... I guess that time is now." Even from where Palutena stood, she could still see the cheek muscles along the sides of his face and neck tighten up amid the flickering shades of luminance coming from the altar down in front of him.

"So please, Pit." She tried her best to persuade him, "Don't hold this grudge against Link like that. What it defeats is the very purpose of your being. Just think about the larger picture. You have _nothing_ to be ashamed of, but I guess what _I'm_ really trying to make you understand is even I find it... disappointing that you're not down there with the others..."

The angel's wings flicked a single time however, as he offered only the sound of silence in return. Palutena let out a soft sigh in disappointment, giving an unsure smile to his backside. She turned and continued to walk until she came to a point right in front of the archway leading out of the temple. She stopped there, looking back at Pit and pondering one last time as the curling gusts of wind from outside whisked up some outer strands of her long thick green hair.

 _... But just know, they're still your friends..._ She solemnly whispered to him through his mind.

Nothing seemed to help though. Pit only felt those words gnawing deeper and more voraciously into his already-conflicted mind with her presence. He clamped his eyes shut instead and bit down harder on his lower lip, almost to a piercing point in trying to stay the pain of past regrets that he just wanted to forget about so badly.

"Lady Palutena..." He bitterly insisted, "Please... just, leave me alone."

A subtle smirk formed on the corners of her lips and the Goddess nodded only once, making the final refute.

"Alright, you asked."

With much more audible taps of her shoes on the stone floor, she thus exited the hall.

That isolating emptiness of the temple returned very quickly. Only those flickering refractions of colorful light and the faint sounds coming from the altar remained. Now, Pit just uttered a damp sigh himself. He was all alone like he had been before that confrontation with his Goddess, but for all his stubbornness and ignorance to her words, something indefinite was churning differently inside of him now. Some of the more powerful words that she'd said resonated a second time in Pit's mind.

It was just a feeling, but a profound one nonetheless.

New and different echoes began to emanate in his head. Distant whispers of some sort called out from somewhere in the dark halls around him as he watched the shimmering array of colors in the portal-like mirage. He turned, trying so hard to resist them, and even started to walk away with intentions to leave the temple, but his feathered wings fluttered slightly. Those conflicting voices suddenly dissipated back into the dark, and all he could hear now were the joyous sounds of celebrations effervescing up from the waters in the altar.

He blinked once, then twice. Something was making him stop and want to reconsider everything.

"No... maybe Lady Palutena _is_ right... like _always_..." He quietly spoke to himself, somewhat regretfully as he attempted to muster his fractured will. This new sense made him feel rather strange; as though a piece of his spirit had just been reborn. Thus, with soft footsteps from his sandals pattering upon the stone, he slowly reproached that mysterious altar to see down into Midair Stadium and all that it had to reveal.

"Yes..." The angel declared at last, resting his hands upon the cold rim once more, "I _gotta_ try and leave my regrets behind..."

A particularly strong gust of that cool outside breeze whisked its way deep into the hall, caressing the back of his tunic and fluttering against his hair. A glistening tear soon formed in the corner of his eye as his thoughts raced all around in his mind. Small breaths crept from his slightly quivering lips. He really wanted to say something more, but it seemed every possible word evaded his grasp as he stood there in the dark hall, alone. He was leaning further over the altar's mirrored waters than he'd been before, because all of those beautiful sounds kept dancing about in his ears. Each of them rang with a unique charm, telling a kind of story on what was happening.

Then his eyes closed with longing. He imagined himself down there in that grand arena, sharing those moments with all the other smashers, being showered in the light and glory. But then it came, that great aural explosion of cheering and applause; quickly peaking louder than anything else had before.

He could even see all the beaming faces of his friends again; his fellow angels, as well as Mario, Fox, Captain Falcon, Marth, and the rest of the gang he knew. They all waved and greeted him as he offered the same in return, patting a few of them on their shoulder while he drifted by in this weightless reverie. Several more people's shoulders moved aside, but everything seemed to freeze in place as Pit's eyes fell on someone faced away, wearing a green armor-like garb. Thick, long-ish blonde hair shrouded this person's head from behind, until he turned.

It was Link.

"W-wha...?" Jealousy quickly welled up, taking hold of the young angel. Everything that Palutena had told him, even what he'd just told himself to do, seemed to evaporate in a flash.

Holding his Master Sword tight, Link slowly turned around and stared directly into Pit's widening eyes, giving him a dark and teasing grin about the past.

"Nghh... No...!" Pit snapped his eyes back open and shouted at the emptiness of the temple, unable to take it anymore.

"NO!" His hand violently struck down against the water's surface in a sudden fit of anger, throwing the mirage into a distorted mess of ripples. Some of the water even splashed down onto the stone floor, making his own feet wet.

 _"Aggghhh...!"_ The angel covered his face and groaned loudly, walking back a good several meters from the altar.

"Wha... what is _wrong_ with me...?!"

He went all the way over to the hall's arched exit and abruptly stopped, angrily banging a clenched fist against one of the sides. He stood there now, supporting himself with his other hand as he gazed out across Palutena's magnificent temple aloft in this tranquil sea of clouds.

Small visible tears lined the bottoms of Pit's eyes, yet for all his frustration, inhaling a deep breath of the fresh cool air seemed to help a bit. He calmed down as he remained there, listening to the sound of the breeze and the birds faintly chirping their lovely little songs in one of the nearby topiary gardens.

 _L-Lady Palutena...?_ He tried calling out to his Goddess through his mind, _I... I'm sorry for how I acted. I don't know what I was thinking. Please... what can I do now...?_

No response came however. All he could do was settle on the bitter belief that this was all a part of Palutena's life lesson.

 _... Maybe, there's another way..._

After thinking hard and quelling those mounting temptations to look back, he finally made the big decision to just leave the altar of observation altogether and go out for a long walk instead, around the vast gardens of Skyworld to clear his head of those dark lingering thoughts.

The legendary hero Pit appeared as nothing more than a helpless, mute angel now. Desiring peace was the only thought upon his mind. He wandered along the winding pathways of velvety grass lined with topiaries, eventually coming to a steep rocky ledge. He peered over, gazing down at the clouds far below before closing his eyes in silence again. A part of his soul wanted to break free, so he let it.

He began to voyage freely across the clouds, rising higher; watching as the world and everything on it slowly fell away beneath him.

* * *

 _* Midair Stadium *_

All the thunder-like drumming and epic riffs of that rock n' roll music had faded by now, for a deeply euphoric chorus of horns was rising to take its place. The sound swelled upward, spreading throughout the entire open-roofed arena with a power that could only be described as humbling. It filled every single corner, and every soul teeming with that special feeling.

A sudden wave of pleasantly surprised gasps also filled the air when many people in the crowds pointed upward, seeing a large and dark shadow starting to blanket a portion of the sun-drenched stadium. This shadow belonged to the gargantuan tapestry of the official smash banner, being slowly and evenly lowered on all sides by a squadron of uniform-clad Koopa Paratroopas on hover crafts. They allowed it to briefly touch down on the platform before spreading it out like a huge mat, which ended up covering the entire middle area. The stark white smash insignia now perfectly aligned itself in the center for all to see.

But then it came; the real moment that everyone had been waiting for. The stentorian voice of the stadium announcer broke through and rumbled around the whole place, impressively overpowering every other sound as he bade to all a most energetic salutation.

 _"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys of ages young and old, from all corners of Sector N! The Fiftieth Quadrennial Galactic Smash Tournament here at the one-and-only Midair Stadium is about to commence!"_

* * *

 **Music/Song:** **_"When the Body Breaks_** ** _"_**

Back inside the training facility, just about every one of the smashers turned and stared in awe as the resulting blast of roaring excitement seemed to swell the exit hall's opening slightly wider. All that force of the air was spilling in like a blur, perhaps because the soundwaves themselves almost did seem visible to everyone's at least partially-fazed eyes.

"Oh yep, that's gotta be _at least_ two-hundred thousand people out there by my reckoning." Captain Falcon joked, estimating the size of the crowds with a hand cupped behind his ear and a prospective grin across his face. He then picked up his helmet from the bench and carried it, waltzing right past the observing Mario brothers to try and find his opponent for the first bracket before it got too much later.

"Yo!" He called out, disappearing further into the groups of smashers, "Anyone seen another _Douglas Jay_ lookin' fella 'round here?!"

As he made his way past numerous shoulders of others and squeezed a path through clustered bodies alike, he unintentionally ended up running into Ike who didn't even seem to flinch.

"... Well, excuse you too." He shot Captain Falcon a half-amused look, brushing his shoulder where the rough impact had happened.

"Whoops! Sorry there, Ike ol' pal... ol' _friend_ , hehe...!" The F-zero racer tried to chuckle off his apology with a cheesy little grin before picking up his helmet and asking, "Um, say... you wouldn't happen to have seen a fellow lookin' just like me, would ya?"

"Hmph, _hardly."_ Said the mercenary indifferently. He flicked a finger against the armor plate on his shoulder which had shifted a bit from the two's collision.

"As a matter of fact, it's quite the opposite. I see quite a few people in here with the likes of _you_. Hmm, are you for certain... that _I'm_ not the one you're paired with for the first round?"

Ike began to form a little grin of his own, which maybe told of some more devious intentions. Captain Falcon saw it, and quickly swallowed anymore words that he would have said, figuring it was in his best interests to calmly try and pull out of the situation to avoid any further shenanigans.

"Oh no, good golly, of course not...!" He stammered lightheartedly and started taking a few steps backwards. "They wouldn't be crazy enough to put _marvelous_ _me_ with a sword wielder like _you_ in the first-!"

His words were abruptly cut short when he clumsily stumbled right against Lucina and accidentally ended up jabbing her backside with his elbow.

"Ouch!" She uttered sharply, rubbing the area on her back where they'd collided. "Watch where you're going, sir Falcon!"

"Agh, sorry... excuse me there, Princess." He grunted as he fumbled to pick his helmet up off the floor yet again. He thought for a moment, but exhaled and asked rather admittedly, "You know what? Look... I just need some-!"

"Hey, Lucina!" Ike then called over to her from behind the F-zero racer, quite amused. "I think Doug's just afraid he might be versing me in the first round, haha!"

The blue-haired Princess blinked a few quick times in trying to keep her attention on Captain Falcon right in front of her, who was now visibly a bit anxious. He continued on his initial question, trying to shake off the mercenary's comments from behind.

"I can't... well, okay... the problem is I can't find my bracket opponent...!"

"Um... hm, is that so...?" She nodded with the smallest pink blush manifesting upon her cheeks, unsure of what exactly to say to this at first. Lucina was someone who always wanted to try and help out though, so she proposed, "Well, would you... care if I helped you find him, perhaps?"

He breathed out a deep sigh of relief and scoffed, thanking her, "Took the words right outta my mouth, Princess... so uh, yeah... I'd really, _really_ love if you did that...!"

Lucina just giggled at him with a friendly smile. Captain Falcon may have been one of, if not _the_ greatest show off that this particular generation of smashers had to offer, but when it came to his skills in trying to explain a minor problem of his, especially to someone of the other gender, that was something which left much to be desired; despite the fact that he confidently proclaimed himself to be a true lady's man. There were plenty of others who would definitely second that.

"It's not Ike, is it...?" The Ylissean Princess asked just to make sure, and the F-zero racer shook his head, a bit relieved at that.

"Nope, I'm like nine-outta-ten percent sure it isn't him... _thank goodness..._ "

"... What is it?" She tilted her head at him with a curious smirk. "Are you... actually frightened of him, or...?"

"Nah nah, it's just..." He tried his best to reason while staying suave, "You know, for the first round and all, I'd maybe... rather be with someone else, if you get what I'm sayin'."

It was pretty obvious to Lucina that he was trying to flirt with her a little bit, but she figured it was alright. She mostly understood where he was coming from anyways.

"Alright then, how about... we start looking over here." With that, she firmly took him by a forearm and began leading him off towards more groups of smashers. He formed a rather surprised expression on his face and began to silently mouth some suggestive ideas, more than likely, back to Ike due to the truly unexpected strength of her grip.

Her eyes darted around in observance as they wandered through this moving maze that was made up of all the other entrants. She then inquired back to Captain Falcon, "What exactly does this opponent of yours look like, do you know? Could I make a _wild_ assumption that he-?"

"... Kinda looks just like me?" He answered in place for her, being led across the training room floor, "Well, actually yes! I know for a fact _that's_ right!"

She just scoffed, rolling her eyes a bit in amusement. "Well, at least we _have_ some sort of a lead now, don't we?"

Ike kept standing back there with a somewhat dissatisfied stare, meanwhile. He watched the two of them drift further off into the crowds, and he even retained a subtle hint of envy within his narrowed blue eyes. Something from a time in the past seemed to be nagging at him inside, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Soon enough though, he just shook his head and figured he'd let the thought pass for now.

Lucina, still guiding the F-zero racer along closely, passed by the Mario brothers who were having a small conversation with Kirby, Link, Little Mac, and Red.

"So, ehh... all the single matches come-a-first, then?" Luigi asked over all the other voices, regarding the ordering of matches.

Mario nodded and happily clarified for his younger sibling, "Usually the first-a-four days are for all singles, which is what most-a-people come here for. The rest of-a-the week is for-a-the Pokémon battles, and-a-then the double matches. Many people stay and watch-a-the doubles, because I'll say... the last-a-few times, they've-a-gained _a lot_ of popularity."

During this time, Ike had wandered over and perhaps felt compelled to join in with the Mario brothers' conversation, because he then added, "... And that's because they're _double the action_ , quite literally! You're both going in the doubles too, right?"

Luigi swallowed and looked a bit unsure, inquiring, "I think so... r-right, Mario...?"

His brother returned a rather blank look and inquired, "Well, _I_ don't-a-know Luigi. Did you sign yourself up?"

"Y-yeah bro, I... I did." He hastily confirmed, nodding at the same time. It was the truth though, so after blinking a single time Mario just shrugged briefly.

"Oki-doki then, there you have it, bro... but-a-we'll have to wait and see who our team members are until-a-the third day, after tomorrow."

"... And with any luck, little green handyman," Ike further added onto Mario's point, "You'll be paired on a team with _me!"_

To compliment his words, the mercenary rested his sheathed great sword upon his shoulder and grinned adamantly. His case was sound, and Luigi glanced over yet again for that special older brotherly expression of reassurance that Mario could always do so well. He even seemed to second Ike's idea with a smile.

"Hehe," Mario chuckled, "Now wouldn't _that_ -a-be something to see!"

Their little discussion was short-ended though, due to the announcer speaking from the outside. Once more, and not surprisingly, his rich voice effortlessly overpowered all those other droning waves of clamor still spilling in.

 _"... It is by the great pleasure of having so many nations and worlds together here in attendance for this next week of celebrating two-hundred smashing years, that this opening ceremony be presented!"_

As the voice rumbled on, everyone else in the training room was starting to line up in front of those large glass doors to the exit hall after having partnered with their opponent for the first round.

"Good luck to you out there, Mr. Mario!" Marth bade from a ways over to the red-shirted plumber. "We know you and the honorable Star Warrior Kirby are first!"

"Mhmm!" Mario acknowledged the Prince's friendly words with a quick tip of his cap, answering, "Like-a-wise to you, Marth. Remember though, _never_ let-a-your guard down!"

The Prince just chuckled happily, nodding back amidst the obscuring blurs of all the other people passing by. It soon became too dense and blocked their view of each other completely, but the time for talks was over anyway. A tight and demanding schedule had to be followed after all, up to the minute and without delay.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen,"_ the announcer then proclaimed, _"If you could please direct your attention to the central platform! All the first round combatants for the singles will reveal themselves momentarily in their bracket order, as they each represent their homelands and worlds from where they hail!"_

Though Marth had just said it, Mario of course already knew that he and Kirby were up first, so he took a deep breath and began walking towards the front of the line.

"Alrighty Kirby, let's-a-go." He called back to the pink puffball, who was turned away and curiously staring upward at all those large portrait paintings of the former smash champions lining the walls.

"Poyo...? Poyo!" Quickly snapping out of his fascination, he scuttled along the floor to catch up with his portly, red-shirted opponent now waiting over at the designated area. Just as he got there though, the distinct squeak of rusty metallic wheels rolling upon the tile floor arose and made almost everyone glance over to see what came into the facility now.

Several Koopas and Shy Guys from the stadium's staff were wheeling in a very wide and flat-topped cart, perfectly lined to the brim with at least two hundred unique palm-sized trophy models. These were individually carved for each and every smasher by the hands of superb craftsmanship, because the level of detail on each and every one of them was astounding. More mysteriously was the fact that they were crafted purely from sacred bronze-tinted wood of the ancient forests, which were only found at a few locations around Planet Neightyvee and nowhere else.

Perhaps most importantly of all though, this wood also held very special qualities; something that many people didn't hesitate to deem _magical powers._

Each trophy had already been organized and placed in their proper ordering for the brackets, but it was interesting considering how this was the bicentennial tournament. Whether it was by a wild chance or some other factor, there was almost a perfect match with there being two hundred years and around two hundred trophies, meaning there was that same number of smashers here as well.

Luckily for Mario and Kirby, they had a big plus of being first in the line. They got their trophy models with ease since they were at the very front of the cart. They then stepped over a few paces and came to a stop, directly at a white line on the floor that was marked in front of the glass doors to the exit hall. They stood there side by side, staring down that tunnel leading straight out into the arena.

Meanwhile, behind them, the hundreds of other smashers were all doing likewise, finding their trophies in their proper order until this long line of duos weaved and circled its way throughout the entirety of the training facility. The least that could be said now though was that it was much less chaotic, and more _orderly_ than the previous half-hour had been.

A ways down this growing column of smashers was a shaky-legged Luigi, and an optimistic Link who was standing upright in contrast. He gave Luigi a hardy pat on the shoulder, offering him a thumb-up gesture with a confident smile to accompany it. He wanted to see if he too was excited, but the green-shirted plumber only managed to return a quick smile back, accompanied by a slightly uncertain chuckle. He tried his absolute best to resist instinctively shuffling his wobbly feet in place. Even though he still had that framework of his inner courage built up, it just had to gain an outer face on him now.

Behind the green-clad duo and standing proud was Captain Falcon, ironically paired with a very similar looking, buffly-built human counterpart whom he'd finally found courtesy of Lucina's assistance.

Speaking of which, just down the line behind them were Lucina, Marth, Roy, and Ike in that consecutive order. They were each standing side by side with other blade wielders as their foes, respectively.

Further past the Heroes of the Emblem though, Little Mac confidently nudged his fellow human brawler opponent on the shoulder and cocked his head with a smile.

"Hey man, this is gonna be an awesome go, eh?" He asked excitedly, though the brawler merely shrugged; rather indifferent to the notion.

"Well... I know who _you_ are from Kyterra, Mac... and I mean, even if I lose, the point is... this is my first time here."

The boxer smiled understandably, for a part of him was feeling the same way. The difference was that he knew how to channel it all down into positive energy.

"Nah... come on man, don't talk like that." Mac then said in a a bit of a pep-talk tone, just like Doc Louis had always done to him. "I'll say, it's my first time here too... but it'll be a real blast no matter who wins. Just think of it this way... it's us two out there, in an over-sized boxing ring... am I right?"

A thoughtful grin crossed the brawler's face as he nodded, agreeing, "Hm... I guess you're right, man."

The two proceeded to bump their gloved fists, with Mac's green against his blue, sharing a quick but supportive laugh with one another.

After making sure his hat was on straight, Red held his selected poke-balls tightly in his hand while his opponent trainer flexed his neck muscles, popping a few of them with a sly smirk on his face. Directly behind Red were his usual looking group of Pokémon: An eager-eyed Pikachu, a joyous Jiggly Puff, an impetuous Charizard, an optimistic Squirtle, and a calm though subtly-determined Greninja. Each of them were paired with their own Pokémon opponents from some of the other trainers.

Donkey Kong waited rather patiently and quietly with his creature-like opponent. Diddy however, being paired with someone around his same young age, couldn't help but start monkeying around a little bit with his foe. They nudged each other back and forth, innocently seeing before hand who might in fact be the mightier one.

Further back in this long line still, Yoshi stood paired with one of his fellow creatures from Dinosaur Land and were occasionally exchanging eager glances with each other as they waited; ever excited for their first round match to come.

That special moment for everyone to emerge and reveal themselves to the crowds kept drawing closer and closer. So many shapes and sizes of the paired smashers slowly swayed in their places from time to time, silhouetted against that vivid light at the end of the exit hall just ahead of them. That deep and immense current of aural hype had been continuously spilling in from the outside this whole time as well. They were the people of all of Sector N; everything that shined outside of this enclosed training facility.

Appendages of all sorts; the hands, claws, wings, or paws of each and every smasher grasped around their small trophy forms of themselves, either in utter anxiousness or with the strangest sense of calm. There was no such thing as wanting to turn back now, because the past had all been but a pretense to this approaching moment.

Seconds began slowing to what seemed like a crawl in their perception of passing time. The only thing remaining now was to wait for the signal and then walk forward, becoming basked in the day's light and rapt in a warmth of pure adoration from the entirety of the known galaxy.

The utter thought of imagining those possible feelings of all the eyes and cameras soon to be upon them was a rising sensation that gave many unfathomable shivers within; racing up and down their entire bodies from head to toe as they stood there, waiting. Even for the many veteran smashers who had been in several of these tournaments before, they couldn't help but feel the slightest tingle. Something truly felt new and special for this one.

It all seemed as though this must've been in a dream, but it wasn't. Everything was very much alive and breathing.

Everything was still delicate.


	6. A Future Memory

**CHAPTER 05 - A FUTURE MEMORY**

 **Music/Song:** ** _"Aftervisions"_**

Far, far away from all the crowded and lively happenings in Midair Stadium, there was nothing but the endless expanse of space itself. From this vast distance out here, Planet Neightyvee became nothing more than just another speck in the void.

The Star Fox team's gigantic mother ship, the Great Fox, glided without a single sound through the wonderful hall of countless stars as it was en-route to its eventual destination on the planet. Way ahead of the ship in the distance, that bright little yellow beacon of the Nassazar was the guiding light that led further into the system. Even the tiny silhouettes of some of those other inner planets could be seen in the light as they floated there through the ring of cosmic dust, seemingly weightless in this vacuum of the infinite.

Fox had been right during the video chat earlier though, because all the surrounding star fields looked absolutely stunning to say the least.

* * *

 _* On board the Great Fox *_

In his private quarters somewhere deep inside this giant craft, Fox was alone; quietly getting suited up in his iconic green pilot's suit. He reached over and got his white over-jacket while he sat there on the edge of his bed, letting it slide down smoothly and comfortably onto his shoulders but purposely left it unzipped, like he always did for his casual look whenever he was traveling. As a final measure, he tightened his belt strap until it was snug, and polished that metallic insignia of his team with the palm of his hand. With a very pleasant result, it glistened from the faint radiance of starlight that was wandering its way into the otherwise dimly-lit room.

After hooking his holstered blaster to the side of his belt, he slipped on his large red and black metal-guarded boots which reached to just under his knee, and clamped the shin straps tight. Fox stood up, satisfied, and took quick glance out the window at the cosmos before he stepped over to the rather large mirror that hung next to his nightstand. He stopped in front of it so he could see himself better as he took a comb, sweeping back the streak of white fur that ran atop his head. Even so, there was something more going on.

He found that his own reflection struck as very elegant and calm. He couldn't help but gaze while he took out his cherished crimson colored scarf from the top drawer and gently lace it around his neck to a comfortable position. This little piece of textile was something that meant so much to him, only he could know the true meaning of it.

Also lining around the mirror's illuminated edges was a small collection of photographs showing him with some of his closest friends, taken after a few of his more recent missions. Then there was even one of his true love, the beautiful blue-furred vixen, Krystal.

 _Krys, please..._ He thought to himself upon glancing at it, _I... I really hope you'll be watching me back home when I'm up to smash._

As he wondered more about it though, Fox let a light scoff out through his nose and simply allowed his thoughts to come out how they were.

"Bah, what am I saying?" He softly asked the silence of his room, as if he was speaking to her there in person. "You're a good girl, Krys. I _know_ you'll be watching. You wouldn't want to miss it for a second...! Hell, I'm pretty sure you might even remember that last one better than I do... since that was _your first time_ over there in good old Midair..."

What ended up catching the young vulpine's attention mostly though was the very top photograph. This one was the smallest of the bunch, but stood out because it appeared worn around the edges and was somewhat faded from much older age. Fox carefully took it down, staring at the single figure who was profiled in the frame. It was of an older vulpine, but a distinct pair of sunglasses covered the eyes.

It was his lost father, James McCloud.

Everything came to an abrupt stop in Fox's mind as an elusive feeling began blooming within him. It wasn't something he could fully articulate, even to himself. It wasn't quite sadness, but rather it was a sense of yearning for the comforting love his father had shared with him when he was much younger. Just the slightest aching feeling began to swell from deep inside his chest, and only a single word could eventually find its way to the front of the vulpine's mind as he stood there in silence; soothed by this enveloping flow of memories being released.

 _Father..._

James had also been a widely famous smasher from Corneria back during his time, and it was that true prowess he held that most likely inspired his son to follow him in those footsteps in addition to being a pilot in the Cornerian Defense Network. Fox was just barely six years old when he went to his first tournament to watch his father smash.

His heart fluttered softly at the whole notion, but it was all those smaller moments in life that really took a hold of him and seemed to freeze time itself. He suddenly felt weightless, as though his body was drifting out into space. The deepest days of Fox's life were coming back to revisit him, merely as an enraptured whisper.

 _He remembered the warm and caring hugs he got from his father before he had to leave for some other important mission he couldn't understand at the time. He remembered how James would give a quick kiss to him and his mother, always promising to return safely no matter what may happen. Whenever James was home, Fox remembered getting many fatherly pats upon his head followed by complimenting words for doing something good, even though he couldn't remember what for exactly. It was just that emotional bond he held. He'd lay on his bed at night, listening with great fascination to all the exciting tales and stories James would tell him before he drifted off to sleep, trying to imagine what all could be out there beyond the Lylat System, and possibly even beyond Sector N altogether. There was also that sense of never-ending adventures from walking together in downtown Corneria City, when James would occasionally take Fox to the CDN headquarters and show him around. They were nothing less than loving father and son. Many a time too, young Fox even rode atop his father's shoulders as they wandered through rolling fields of tall grass just outside the city, under the warm and gifting light of Lylat; innocently exploring where to have a nice little rest for a snack that day._

 _And yet, he couldn't help but also remember that very last time he ever saw his father. As he was leaving to depart for that fateful mission, Fox had been watching him silently from behind a large window on the front side of their house. He remembered seeing how that beautiful day's light was glistening and refracting into many different colors on the walls and floors, even casting onto himself and in his eyes. James was outside, saying goodbye to Fox's mother in a heartfelt hug followed by a passionate kiss. They both stood down there on the sidewalk near the street as Fox just watched on. He'd already said goodbye, and from their final parting words a few minutes before, that simple pane of glass was what came to separate him and his father forever. But he couldn't have known what was going to happen. How could he have? Never could the young vulpine have imagined what all the near future years of his life would bring._

Still, it was those small moments that meant so much to him in the end. The ones that would slip by so quickly, but for some reason are still remembered so fully; so richly.

Fox closed his eyes, exhaling softly as the small bead of a glistening tear leaked from the rim of one of his eyes. Not a single spoken word was needed for this. There was only that true and powerful feeling reaching out across the stars, from wherever his father may be now.

 _Alright dad, I know..._ He reassured himself at last with a small smile, knowing that James was still there with him in spirit. _Like you always said, 'Trust your instincts...' And I guess that means I really gotta finish getting myself ready now...!_

Feeling the warmth of his calm remembrance, he reopened his eyes and gently set the photograph back up on the mirror's edge. He then finished making sure he looked fine in the mirror by running his furry anthropomorphic hand through the streak of white fur atop his head, making it more puffy and raised instead of simply being combed back like before.

 _"And on this side of the platform..."_ Fox pretended to mimic the announcer's deep and rich voice, smirking toothily at the reflection of himself. He stood proudly with his hands set on his gently moving hips, and let his bushy tail sway from side to side.

"... Fox McCloud, _leader_ of the one-and-only Star Fox team from the Lylat System... Tsk, _yeah."_

He finished with a witty little click of his tongue and winked, giving himself a good old two-gun point. Indeed, it looked like he was all ready, except for one little missing piece.

"Mhmm, and of course... the cherry on top." With that same grin, Fox glanced over and saw his pilot communicator helmet hanging on a rack just to the left of his dresser. He took it, and let it slide down over his head so the middle fit smoothly in-between his large ears.

Now, his mission was a go.

* * *

 **Music/Song: **_**"SETI Project (v.1)"**_

The vulpine pilot retained a bright and optimistic expression as he strode down the long white hallways of the Great Fox. The whole time he'd even been humming a vibrant little tune to himself, until he turned onto a larger main hallway and began approaching an already-opened set of automated sliding doors. This was the entrance that lead onto the ship's main bridge.

Upon nearing it though, the mechanical whirring sounds of tools reached his fuzzy ears. The faint hiss of a welding torch soon followed as he set his right boot up on the single step, peering into the huge control room. There were only a few actual panels with controls located near the front, and the rest was just extra room for any equipment or utilities. Still, it was how the bridge's windows extended high up, arching across horizontally to give it that spacious scale and a grand view outside.

Fox also came to notice that some moody trance-like music was playing from the ship's main radio over at the control boards, going out over the intercom speakers just here in the bridge. It definitely added another dimension to the whole atmosphere.

Then he caught sight of his fellow team members, Falco and Slippy. The two were indeed both busy at work repairing their ship's controller robot ROB 64, which wasn't quite what he'd guessed they were doing during the video chat. Bright showers of blue and white welding sparks spewed up and bounced upon the metallic floor just around them.

 _"Ahem..._ Morning to you _too_ , guys." Fox smiled and said to the two of them after clearing his throat. He'd already walked quite far into the bridge without even getting noticed.

The blue-feathered pheasant, very much unlike Fox, was just wearing a grease-stained tank top and faded cargo pants. He propped up his welding goggles and wiped one of his wing-like hands down over his half-sweaty beak. The other hand was grasped around a portable welding torch.

"Oh, hiya Foxy. Didn't see ya there, pretty boy." He started in his very noticeable Bronx accent, keenly observing Fox's handsome stature. He sized him up and down while commenting, "Hmm, wow... you're sure lookin' _sharp_ there, McCloud."

By the end, Falco's tone had become more joking and even slightly luscious.

"Mm, do I now?" Flattered, Fox raised his arms up and playfully twirled around for him; swishing his bushy tail. Their pilot suits were on the tight fitting side after all, so they revealed the curving of their thighs and visible outlines of some other features on their bodies too. Not surprisingly, they were the prime targets of expected jokes.

"Really, ya look fresh like you're goin' out on a mission right now or somethin'. Hell, even the scarf's on, and that usually means business!"

"Well, let's just say it's right on time for the opening ceremony." Fox answered, checking that his helmet's little green glass screen folded down smoothly into his peripheral vision.

"If you really wanted to know," he went on, "I _personally_ re-washed every part of my suit the night before we left... but hey, you'll be looking this sharp too soon enough, once you clean up."

"... Say, what kept ya down there anyhow?" Falco asked after a beat, going with a small tilt of his head. Fox had in fact taken a bit longer than he wanted to, but it was mostly due to him being deep in his thoughts with that photograph of his father.

"Oh yeah, that. I guess I was just... having a little moment, you know?" He responded with a small smile.

"A little moment, eh?" The bird became more curious and paused his work. "... With what?"

Fox thought a bit before clarifying with a soft sigh, "... Just some memories."

"Ah, okay. Wasn't quite what _I_ was thinking of... but, I gotcha." Falco sniffed briefly, clearing his nostrils though he seemed to know what Fox meant.

"... Was it some more thoughts 'bout your dad?"

"Yeah, it was." The vulpine nodded, gazing out the bridge's front window at that gleaming yellow beacon of the Nassazar in the void. Faint remnants from some of those thoughts and feelings felt like they were calling to him from behind.

"... It's kind of strange, actually. I was remembering all these things when I was young, but... at the same time, I could almost see myself in his very place when I was older... some time in the future."

"... Memories from the future? Like, a _future memory...?"_ Falco raised an eyebrow and smiled at the thought. "Is that what you're tryin' to say, Foxy?"

"You know... I think it is, as a matter of fact...!" Thinking about it, Fox couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Ha, that's a pretty cool way to put it!"

"Heh," Scoffed the bird, "I actually just made that up now on the spot. Doesn't make a lick of sense to me. _Future memories_... pah, how'd that even be a thing?"

Fox shrugged. "I get where you're coming from, but somehow, it makes all the sense in the world to me..."

Both he and Falco were left in what seemed like a prolonged period of thoughtful quietness, with naught but that music playing in the background. That remained so, until the sharp clacking sound of an air-powered ratchet quickly brought their attentions back to the present moment. They'd almost forgotten about the third person here, Slippy, who coincidentally found the time right to start talking himself after having been quiet this whole time.

"Howdy by the way, Fox." His cheerful but muffled voice sounded from under his own welding shade, due to him still being faced downward and away. He was just finishing up attaching something inside the chassis of ROB 64 when he said, "Oh, and don't worry. I heard everything you said and it didn't distract me."

"Heh, but even if I did, it wouldn't have been on purpose, right?" Fox playfully inquired as he walked a few paces closer. Crossing one of his legs, he leaned an arm on the backrest of one of the chairs and eyed his two companions curiously as they continued to work on the robot.

"Nope, it'd be no bigs at all." The mechanic flipped his welding shade up before facing Fox too; mischievously adding on, "Just like this extremely important hydraulic base-joint now, my concentration's all _fixed."_

"Oh shut up, Slippy...!" In spite of the bad pun, Falco jokingly bumped his elbow against his shoulder, causing him to jerk sideways a bit.

"Sorry, but are you a bit disappointed?" Annoyed, Slippy readjusted the welding shade strapped on his wide frog head and touted, "That's not _nearly_ the worst one I could do, just so you know."

Falco deviously shot his eyebrows up and opened his beak; priming to say something back, but Fox stole his air instead.

"Hate to spoil your sour wine even more, but please... I've about had my share of jokes for the day just from chatting with the guys... and girls."

With that, he went ahead and slid back comfortably into his chair at one of the Great Fox's frontal control boards. He took off his communicator helmet and set it on the table next to him, before gently tapping a clawed finger on one of the armrest's sensor points. This caused a large, flat LED screen which was normally stowed on the high ceiling above to unfold downward and allow for a clear viewing from practically anywhere in the bridge.

"... Oh, yeah!" Falco seemed to remember and followed up with, "So how were Mario and the whole gang doin'?"

"They're doing just fine." The vulpine happily conversed with a cock of his head back to the two, "Everyone says hi, and it was really great to see ol' Mario again."

The bird went about slyly eyeing his furry friend, even as he thought to rest a wing upon the table closest to him. "Mm, did ya tell 'em the next thing they'd feel was your boot goin' up their asses?"

"Ha!" Fox uttered a brief chuckle and countered, "Nah, I didn't say that, but I _was_ thinking whether or not to say the next time they'd see me was _out_ on the smash platform... _kicking_ everyone's ass."

"Ahh nuts," Falco clicked his tongue. "Now I _really_ wish I could've been there with ya for the chat! I know I would've said a few things to 'em... Instead of doin' this crap with the _croaker_ up here."

He shot a playful yet detesting look over to Slippy, though he was faced away once more and fastening a few bolts into ROB 64's outer casing.

"Uh, well excuse me..." The mechanic shot back rather tartly, "But _you_ were the one who said _'yes'_ to helping me with this repair job, bird brain."

Of course, Falco conjured his only response like that of a young brat because he reached over and bopped Slippy on the head, causing his propped-up welding shade to swing down over his face. He clumsily flipped it back up and gave a glare, though the smug avian offered his verbal answer.

"Hmph... Well, maybe I was just a bit too _excited_ when I said that."

"... Anyways," Fox finally went on with what he'd been saying before, "It's gonna be an exciting time, that's for sure. I could see quite a few new faces down there on the video... Oh yeah, and speaking of Mario, that's including his bro Luigi."

"Luigi...?! So, that little understudy finally decided to do the big tournament, eh?" Falco seemed to gawk at the name initially, but immediately shifted his mindset and brought out the full extent of his well-known cockiness.

"Huh, wonder what he'll say when I get to give him his _initiation..._ meaning my fist and kickers to that large nose of his." As he spoke, he clenched the welding torch tightly in his feathered hand and swung it to and fro, like he was striking something; or someone, for that matter.

Hearing all of this, Fox could only rest his maw on his knuckles and smile; adding his own say to play along with his fellow pilot, "Think you'll give him a good old _Cornerian Cracking?"_

"Heh..." Falco scoffed arrogantly and smirked big. "You bet your big ass, I'll give 'im that and then some. I'll show that plumber what _real_ smashing is all about, and give 'im a first one he'll never forget."

"Yeah..." Fox paused for a bit. A small but perhaps suggestive smile was lingering in the corners of his maw, since he was deciding whether or not to tell him about Ike's proposed _little challenge_ during the video chat.

 _Bah, what the hell?_ He figured, _It'll be interesting... and hilarious._

Letting that suggestive expression overcome the entirety of his face, he went ahead and announced it to his fellow pilot in a subtly luscious way.

"Oh, hey, and Falco... I think Ike might just have something planned for you, 'cause apparently you're gonna be swallowing _his blade_ before he lets you win."

"Hubba-wha, Ike said _what_ now...?!" Immediately responding to what he thought he'd heard, the bird quickly flipped up his shade again; shooting a demanding stare back up and over at Fox who was just grinning and sitting comfortably in the chair. Only the white tip of his fuzzy tail occasionally twitched from side to side.

"Uh-huh, that's what he said." Fox scratched behind his large pointy ears, pretending to be a bit unsure as he confirmed, "He even held it right up to the camera, and... well, it was pretty big, I have to say. You know, he's another one of the guys who seems really, really _full of themselves_ this time..."

Perhaps he was using those similar words on purpose to give a clue on what he was actually trying to get at, but alas, Falco didn't appear to take the hint. Rather, he felt as though he'd been personally insulted.

"Why that... snitchy little, bitch mercenary...!" Sneered Falco, bluntly banging the base of his welding torch on the table and shaking his head at the utter thought of submitting to Ike like that. "Oh, I'll make him swallow something big alright... my _blaster_ all the way down his throat!"

 _Haha... Yep, just what I thought._ Fox grinned and chuckled to himself with a humorous sigh, doing a light face-palm right after. _Good ol' Falco, always trying to get the one-up on someone by saying and doing anything, no matter what._

In reality, Ike was a full head-and-shoulders taller than Falco, but that just made it more amusing for Fox to try and imagine.

Then the large folded-down screen came to life with the live coverage of Midair Stadium in an insert frame, along with that trio of Mushroom Central News anchors. They were having a round-table discussion on various things like the individual skills of fighters and their predictions for who would possibly win the first round.

"Hey, you guys? Looks like it's about to start!" The vulpine lit up and called back to his fellow team members, who both glanced up again with excitement from working on ROB 64.

"Alright, just hang on a sec." The mechanic turned back, concentrating on finishing his reattachment of a final set of wires back into the robot's main body panel.

"Yo Slip, does this mean I ain't _required_ anymore for your little robot repair service ya got goin' on here?" Inquired the bird to a hardworking Slippy next to him, who confirmed with a brief nod.

"Yup. All I needed was for you to help me weld the other sides of that panel, so yeah, you're done."

"Atta boy there, Slip." Falco set a tool box back down on the floor with a dense metallic thud, standing up with a rather cocky smirk across his beak and stretching his arms in a well-deserved manner. He leaned his neck to the side, letting the muscles pop a few times as he rambled, "This whole mechanic mojo ain't my morning's calling anyhow, that's for sure."

Fox was meanwhile fixed in observing the live coverage on the screen as the view zoomed far in on the training facility's exit hall, trying to get a glimpse at the first few rows of smashers ahead of time. A few of the duos were visible, namely Mario and Kirby there at the very front, though they kept standing patiently in the dark shade.

"... Oh, guys! Look, there they are!" As though he were an excited little kid all over again, Fox eagerly pointed up to the screen and got more comfortable in his chair. "Wow, is this some perfect timing or what?"

"So, our good pals Mario and Kirby are up first _again_ , huh?" Asked the bird with interest as he set his welding shade and torch down on a table, wiping his feathered hands off on his tank top whilst strutting over.

The vulpine nodded. "Seems to be the new tradition now... hm, if _that_ even makes sense...!" He then gave his thoughtful analogy, "But it does make sense I think, because when you're watching them, you can see they're pretty different in terms of fighting styles."

Falco came right up behind Fox and gently laid his wing-like arms down over his shoulders, while his beaked head rested on top of Fox's. His large, pointy ears flattened straight out to the sides in response as Falco slyly smiled down at him from above.

"Me?" He started explaining, "I'm pretty sure it's 'cause everyone just loves the plumber and the puffball... but we'll show 'em though!"

The boastful bird's blue eyes gazed down at his fellow pilot's fuzzy head below. "Ready for our _duels in duals,_ Foxy?"

Fox writhed, playfully shaking Falco off of his head and shoulders before glancing back up at the screen again with a chuckle.

"Ha, I'm as ready as I'll ever be... but you'd better not let 'em hear you bashing like this."

"Oh yeah, why so?" The bird inquired, crossing his arms and eyeing his fellow pilot; interested as always about the _why_ aspect of his comments.

Happily, Fox clarified for him, "You know Kirby is a Star Warrior, and Mario... well, he's saved the Mushroom Kingdom countless times by now, so both their reps are well earned." An ear of his twitched briefly as he thought a moment. "Hmm, same with ours for that matter. Just wait though, when we get there... they're gonna say something like, _'Here comes the Star Fox team, the TRUE heroes of the Lylat System!'"_

To Fox's lively statement, Slippy raised his welding torch up in the air and waved it around, hollering, "Whooo, yeah! _Go team SF!"_

Falco couldn't help but cover his face and emit a snorting laugh through his nostrils in response to this sudden outburst of enthusiastic albeit cringeworthy pride for the team. Fox tried to go on with his initial thought nevertheless, but also fought to hold back sporadic giggles himself. Some still ended up breaking through as he talked.

"Still, we don't... start until the twelfth bracket... so technically there's no real hurries for us." He then paused on a beat, promptly shifting his tone to a more solemn one to remind as a final say, "But remember, Falco... this time it's only the two of us who represent the Cornerian Defense Network, so it's all for the honor."

Falco nodded, somewhat regretfully in agreement. "Yeah, and it's a real shame Pepper couldn't make it to watch us either. Then again though, the years might finally be catchin' up to the ol' geezer."

His eyes looked back and fell upon Slippy, who still hadn't moved from working on the robot.

 _"Ahem..._ Yo, Slip." He cleared his throat and teased, "Why don't ya give it a rest already? Come n' watch the opening ceremony with us... or ROB there won't be the only one with a blown fuse."

The mechanic damply sighed, turning to meet Falco's beady blue eyes with a sarcasm in his own. "You know, your humor has a _reeeaaal_ way of putting salt on the whole mood."

Falco just smiled over at Fox, seeing what his reaction to this might be as Slippy ranted on.

"And I don't know about you guys, but I'd sure as heck like to have the Great Fox's manual controller back online... instead of having to talk to that stupid, lifeless Com. Also, if you really knew about electronics, it's not a freakin' fuse that caused ROB's simple joint freeze, _Einstein."_

This was the usual type of childish bickering that bounced between these two members of the team in particular, so Fox just smirked and shook his head while Falco pretended to wince from the insults, scoffing in amusement.

"Huh, okay then, that answers that. I was wondering what exactly was wrong with good ol' ROB..." The vulpine tried offering his own neutral perspective on their little _'conversation'_ at hand, but it pretty much had no effect.

"Well," Falco started again, "When ya say it like that, I guess ROB at least _can_ have a sense of humor from time to time, unlike one or two of us in here..."

He was about to bring out a second comeback, but that was when the old hare Peppy suddenly entered the bridge. He'd heard part of the argument going on as he was approaching from the hallway, but that little bit was obviously enough for him due to the look upon his face.

"Alright knock it off, the _both_ of you." He grumpily commanded as he hobbled up and took a seat in the chair beside Fox, going on about it. "Really, we almost went the whole way for _once_ without this usual nonsense from you two."

Falco crossed his arms and tilted his head, sneering a teasing grin toward Slippy who could only manage to make a childish, raspberry face back.

"I'm pretty sure it's bad enough for the Lylat System's reputation that _we're_ missin' the opening ceremony, of all things, due to concerns with the General's health." The hare rambled on, "Hmph, as if the timing for all this could be any more inconvenient..."

He ceased his little rant and tapped a button on the large control board in front of him. That moody music, which had been playing this whole time from the radio, ceased.

"Great Fox," Peppy asked, "What's the remaining time until we reach our destination?"

A few seconds or so of silence passed before the ship's Com replied in a rather monotonous voice, "ETA to final destination, Midair Stadium: two hours."

Then, as if strangely on cue, a burst of cheering erupted from the screen above them. The camera view began following Mario, Kirby, and all the other paired smashers as they were taking their first steps to emerge out in the glorious sunlit arena. They all raised their hands, waving faithfully around to the crowds.

 _"... And here they come!"_ The announcer's voice sounded proudly from the speakers, _"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment you've all been-!"_

"Oh, it's starting now! Gather around everybody!" Fox called back as he reached over into a convenient little cooling compartment stowed right below the main dashboard, and grabbed what looked like a handful of chewy energy bars.

"Anyone else want one?" He held up another few and offered the other three with a playful expression. "Going once...? Going twice...?"

"... And it's sold, to me! Don't mind if I do, Foxy." Falco graciously took every one of the few that Fox was holding and comfortably plopped down in a seat beside him, opposite that of Peppy.

"I'm starved! Hell, I haven't even eaten any breakfast yet..."

He tore the wrapping opened on one of them and began munching away to his heart's desire, but Fox kept eyeing his rather sweaty and unclean friend with another suggestive smirk.

"Hmm, I haven't eaten yet either... but are you gonna be cleaning up any time soon, Falco?" He asked, "You know, to make yourself actually look, um... presentable for when we get there?"

"Whaddya think... that I'd show up lookin' like _Slippy_ over here?" Between chews, a sarcastic Falco tried to retort, "Doi...! Of course I'm gonna go clean my tail feathers up."

"Well, I mean... it takes some time, you know." Fox paused and then added with a smirk, "... If you _do_ want to end up looking so _sharp_ like me..."

"Ah, c'mon Foxy, don't sweat it." The bird broke off a piece of the bar and casually flicked it into his mouth. "You heard the old Com, we have two good hours to kill here. Even you said it yourself... there's no real hurries?"

"Alright then, just checking..." Nodding in acknowledgment, Fox shifted his attention over to Slippy who had quietly found the next seat down.

"Slip?" He grabbed another duo of energy bars and offered them to the mechanic. "You want a little snack too?"

"Nah, that's alright Fox." He replied with a wave of his webbed frog-like hand, "I'm not hungry right now. Thanks anyway, though."

"Well, as good ol' Mario would say... _Oki-doki, if-a-you say so!"_ After comically attempting to mimic the plumber's Italian accent, the vulpine finally unwrapped his own energy bar and took a hearty bite out of it. He relaxed, slowly adjusting his shoulders in the comfort of the chair before glancing over at each of his team members. Back up on the large screen, the opening ceremony was officially getting underway. All of that enthusiasm and energy was about to rise much higher.

"Alright..." Fox gave a final little nod of satisfaction, eagerly proclaiming, "Here we go."


	7. Let the Smashing Begin

**CHAPTER 06 - LET THE SMASHING BEGIN**

 **Music/Song:** **_"Before the Celebration"_**

 _"Ladies and gentlemen!"_ Hailed the announcer's thundering voice to everyone in the arena, _"This is the moment you've all been waiting for! Put your hands together and give a grand welcome to this tournament's lineup, a lineup worthy for the bicentennial occasion!"_

More horns swelled up in that glorious chorus as even more national flags and banners were released to fly. This stadium of countless cheering people all seemed to simultaneously rise to their feet in witnessing the pairs of smashers starting to file out of the training facility, striding across that high walkway ramp which was all that connected the sides of the arena to the giant central platform.

The culminating sound must have been at near-deafening levels by now, with everything teeming so vibrantly in this great proverbial melting pot that was Midair Stadium.

Numerous news crews were strategically positioned on and around the platform, capturing these unfolding moments. A huge variety of camera angles were shown up on the big screens with low, upward facing shots into the vivid sun, mid-shots, and sweeping shots that traversed down the entire emerging crowd of paired smashers. They were all being gloriously broadcast not only here in the stadium, but on the countless TVs across Sector N that were tuned in as well. Each were their heroes, fully shining here and now.

"Here they come folks; the duals for the duels! Just look at them all!" That violet-spotted Toadette reporter from Mushroom Central News was also down here on the platform with her camera crew. She seemed almost ecstatic, and practically had to yell into the microphone to cover their share of the spectacle.

"Wow! Here come the veterans! There's Mario, Kirby, The Hero of Time Link, Captain Falcon, Prince Marth, the Pokémon trainers, fighters from the Lylat System! Uh... oh my gosh, there's just way too many to even name right now!"

Many of the newcomer smashers like Luigi must have been especially heavy with angst from this constant bombardment of cheering. The majority of the veterans on the other hand like Mario, Link, and Captain Falcon had indeed done this procedure several times before, but again, there was just that little something which felt different this time; like it was all suddenly new for everyone.

Finally though, once the last pairs had all stepped onto the central platform, the walkway ramp retracted with a deep mechanical whir back into the sides of the arena's walls. It was only temporary, but now they were out there in the center; isolated across chasms cascading down to the banks of clouds on all sides. Of course there were those giant safety nets not too far below the platform, saving anyone from a much, much longer fall.

Then, in almost perfect unison, this huge cluster of several hundred contenders proceeded to arrange themselves in a ring which traced around the whole circular insignia on the center of that grand overlaying tapestry. They now stood in groups, based on the homelands and worlds from where they each hailed.

Standing side by side, as brother and brother, Mario happily turned and gave Luigi a confident nudge on the shoulder. He'd been looking up and all around himself in an utterly numb state of awe, but an accompanying smile from his red-shirted sibling helped to confirm that they'd made it this far together. There was no stopping now.

A variation also existed on how many smashers were grouped from each place, with several of the spots retaining a good number more than others. Some, however, were noticeably empty all together. Thus, as the fanfare continued to roll and dance in all its aural glory around the stadium, the announcer had more to say about these vacant spaces.

 _"Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen... A few contenders for the later brackets of this first round are still on their way here, and will miss the opening ceremony. These include Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi from the Lylat System, some entrants from the Kingdom of Xylvania on the Planet of Nations, and last but definitely not least... Dreamland's one-and-only Meta Knight!"_

A slight but distinct rise in cheers could be heard above all the other clamor as each of these late-arriving members was listed, but the announcement didn't seem to affect the overall mood in any way. Of everyone down there on the smash platform though, only Mario's eyelids seemed to squint ever so slightly from hearing that list of latecomers, because something wasn't quite right.

 _Wait a minute,_ He couldn't help but wonder, _but... what about-a-Bowser, Ganondorf, and-a-King Dedede...?_

Soon enough however, all he could do was shake off the notion since there was nothing he could do about it. The announcer assured everyone regardless, as if to be safe.

 _"... But don't worry yourselves about their empty spots._ _Our hearts are all with them as they make the journey over, and we will still fully honor their participation by playing their home anthems for when they soon arrive!"_

The entirety of the royal audience meanwhile had also begun to rise to their feet, which made the whole stadium quickly hush and become almost dead silent within the seconds that followed. Of all those high status guests in attendance however, only Peach, Daisy, and Zelda knew that it was time for them to take a few steps forward and stop right at the front railing. The three of them slowly bowed to the crowds, and by doing so, they honorably accepted their positions as the three representative Princesses of this tournament.

After that cascading drop-off to silence had stormed through, there was now the strange stillness of waiting.

It was a truly powerful and surreal sensation that descended upon everyone to suddenly hear absolutely nothing except that soft whispering sound of the day's cool breeze amid the stark, dancing shadows of those countless flags and banners hanging freely from all the ledges of the seating levels.

One by one, the grouped smashers held hands with the person next to them and raised their arms together, confidently looking up to the royal audience at the same time. All the while, those giant display screens hanging far above showed a live master-shot of the entire scenario down on the platform.

Then the announcer continued, promptly breaching the prevailing quiet as he said, _"Without further ado, we now introduce and honor each of the star systems, with all their worlds and nations joining us here today!"_

Since the Mushroom Kingdom had officially hosted the tournaments all the way back to their founding, everyone knew of course that their's respectively came first.

 _"Here in the Nassazar System, from Planet Neightyvee... we begin with our host nation, the Mushroom Kingdom!"_

Mario, Luigi, and all the other contenders hailing from this land held their heads high, holding each other's hands up a bit longer before lowering them again to stand together as one. Up in the royal audience, Peach and Toadsworth both felt their true sense of national pride and held their hands over their hearts.

 **Music/Song:** **_"Things of Beauty Burn"_**

The Mushroom Kingdom's anthem was truly something wonderful. Gloriously symphonic yet somehow intimate in this incarnation, it was a melody that so many people from all over the known galaxy knew deep in their hearts. Once it had concluded though, naught but respectful silence persisted, as it was time for the next one. The national flag that was being shown up on the big screens changed, and all of the following anthems began to play by order of the groups tracing around the insignia in a clockwise direction.

It was right in accordance with the announcer, but flowed like a magnificent medley that seamlessly transitioned from one to the next.

 _"... Next, we welcome the Flower Kingdom!"_

Every one of the contenders representing this neighboring Kingdom stood proudly together as well. It was their turn now for the cameras to pan along them, showing close-ups of their faces for all to see.

 _"... Sarasaland!"_

A grinning Princess Daisy firmly placed her hand over her heart as her fellow Sarasan smashers down there were given their glory upon the big screens. Through the strong satisfaction that her eyes were telling everyone, she probably wanted to be down there too and take on some opponents herself, knowing her very competitive nature with contests.

 _"... Across to Dinosaur Land!"_

Both Birdo and Yoshi slowly closed their large eyes at the same time, as if they were somehow in unison with one another. They felt the very primal vibes of their homeland's anthem resonating deeply within, along with their other fellow creature smashers hailing from there.

 _"... The Kongo Islands!"_

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong shot excited looks to the passing cameras and could hardly prevent themselves from starting to beat on their chests to the organic tribal-style anthem of their lands. Despite the fact that it was preferred for contenders not to get too energetic, maybe it was fitting in this case.

 _"... Way down south, to the Sunshine Animal Islands!"_

Here on this spot, Pianta and Noki contenders glanced earnestly at the live images of themselves up on the screens while they began conducting a little hula dance to the lively theme of Isle Delfino. It was a great sound that almost no one could resist tapping their feet a bit, or even sway their hips to. Their island nations were all peace-loving and were in no way _tough_ per say, but here in the smash tournaments, this was their way of showing the rest of the known galaxy some of the humble culture they cherished.

 _"... Beyond the great sea, we welcome the ancient Kingdom of Hyrule!"_

Link gently tilted his gaze upward, but caught sight of Zelda's sunlit eyes already down upon him from the royal audience. Within them however, there was an honest sense of caring; a longing of sorts. Also standing on Hyrule's spot were some other noble Hylian fighters. They, along with Link, all held their hands across their chests in honoring their dear kingdom's song and its very solemn quality.

 _"... The reverent Halidom of Ylisse!"_

The blue-haired warrior Princess Lucina and her Ylissean kin stood side by side, disciplined and gazing at nothing in particular. Unlike the great majority of other groups, they seemed to be ignoring the passing cameras, perhaps because they wanted to present themselves as being fully focused. After all, Lucina had something very important that she desired to keep; her promise to her father. She even did end up smiling a bit, for she could feel him and her family proudly watching her from somewhere above in the royal audience.

 _"... The mighty Nohr!"_

Cameras drifted along this proud-looking group of warriors, who wore a distinctly darker and reflective type of armor than most.

 _"... Hoshido!"_

Only a few entrants stood here at this spot, but like Hyrule, the attire of these warriors was much more traditional and very telling of its rich history.

 _"... Altea!"_

Of the contenders here, both the Hero Prince Marth and his younger, red-haired companion Roy unsheathed their blades, pointing them skyward together just so the tips glistened vividly in the light.

 _"... Telius!"_

There was but one _true_ fighter from this land, and that was the leader of the Greil Mercenaries, Ike. He stood tall and proud, with a hand resting on his great sword's hilt.

 _"... Valm!"_

Similar groups of weapon-wielding humans held their arms up together in a unified salute to all the eyes and lenses that were now focused upon them.

 _"... From higher up above, Skyworld!"_

A posse of angelic warriors raised their bladed weapons and extended their feathered wings in unison, levitating a ways off the ground to everyone's awe so the cameras could capture some cinematic upward angles of them silhouetted against the sunlight.

 _"... Only a world away, we welcome the_ _Pokémon_ _regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola!"_

Some of the Pokémon, namely Jiggly Puff, slowly swayed in unison to their planet's uplifting tune, but Red let the shade line of his cap rise until the sunlight barely pierced the bottom rims of his brown eyes. He somehow let everything else around him drown out into silence as he gazed into the Nassazar's halo-like brightness for a bit, recalling his past experiences as a Pokémon trainer. The other trainers appeared to be doing something similar, because to them and everyone else, they knew that this was their true moment to shine for their friends and family back home.

 _"And now, over to the Aminuss System... beginning with_ _Dreamland!"_

Kirby beamed as he waved his adorable stubby pink arms up and down, shuffling his feet there along with his fellow Dreamlanders to their joyous and catchy anthem while the cameras now fixed upon them. Many people who were watching probably wanted to let out a burst of squealing awe, but a disturbance like that was luckily withheld, at least for the time being.

 _"... The neighboring Pop Star!"_

Fighter waddle-dees were what made up most of the little group here, but their eyes were filled with positive determination to do their home world proud.

 _"... The unified Planet of Nations!"_

These humanoid brawlers, despite being visibly shorter in stature when compared to most of the others around them, still stood valiantly together by each of their nations: the Western Frontier, the Tundran Territories, the Anglo Isles, the Solar Empire, and the Kingdom of Xylvania.

 _"... The Bionis!"_

More human fighters and anthropomorphic creatures stood together on this space. Each of them possessed rather abstract but stitched-together kinds of clothing, and their uniquely stylistic weapons were given the spotlight too.

 _"... Kyterra!"_

Yet another good mixed group of human contenders were here at this spot, with namely Captain Falcon and Little Mac visible at the front. They both stood filled with pride of their countries back on their home planet.

 _"Now, up to the Lylat System... starting with Corneria!"_

The anthropomorphic animal smashers hailing from there may have ranged in their species, but they proudly held their heads high as their planet's anthem rolled and was honored all the same.

Amazingly enough though, this was still the beginning. Numerous other groups around the smash insignia were welcomed as that list of attending nations and worlds seemed to go on, soaring atop a never-ending stream of aural euphoria that was filling everyone's ears.

Some inter-cutting occurred up on the display boards as well that showcased particular seating sections in the crowds, usually with people who came from those same places. Many of the spectators caught on camera would glance up after a few moments and see themselves on the screens, realizing they were also being broadcast all over the sector to the billions upon billions of people watching at home. They couldn't resist either waving or shying their faces away with a blushing smile, though it was most amusing just to see how long it took for them to actually notice themselves.

By now though, even the whole sense of passing time was starting to be lost altogether. A much more immersive and almost sacred kind of time was rising over with the opening ceremony's onward journey. From the silence of everyone, not a single fragment of that growing excitement in the background for the coming tournament was lost while the massive acoustics of all their anthems raced around the arena.

There was just that feeling; an ever-present sensation of pure magic residing within everyone's spirits connected here in the stadium. All these nations, these worlds, these cultures, and these people gathered for the celebrations truly gave a fervent reminder to the power of unity in Sector N.

No conflicts on this day.

No differences between any two people.

No such boundaries existed here.

There was only that one joy; this one beautiful soul glowing within all.

Alas, what seemed like a dream had come to pass when the final anthem from a small and rather obscure world slowly faded into the air. After more than an hour now, that deep and respectful silence carried on, until it was time for the finale.

Glorious fireworks launched in a ring around the entire open roof, bursting high above in a plethora of bright colors and patterns. Glittering shapes of stars and other symbols revealed themselves through the showers of sparks, before being swept away with the winds and dissipating smoke.

The celebrations had officially begun.

* * *

Across the sector, on many different worlds, there were families gathered with relatives and friends alike. They were all tuned in and witnessing this whole spectacle of the opening ceremony being shown live on their TVs.

And yet, it was interesting because just like the Toadette reporter had mentioned earlier, watching it at home on TV absolutely paled in comparison to the experience of actually being there.

* * *

 _* Space - Approaching the Inner Nassazar System *_

Nevertheless, on board the Great Fox still a distance away in space, the Star Fox team had watched and listened to the entire ceremony with their utmost attention. During the introduction of Corneria, a sharp and dash looking Fox resided side by side with Falco, who in a rather comical contrast was still wearing his dirty working clothes.

They both stood in a proper Cornerian Military posture and each held their hand up in a salute, but were especially pleased that they got to hear their beloved anthem played despite their temporary absences.

* * *

 _* Skyworld – The Temple of Communication *_

In the center of that large dark hall, the mysterious altar of observation resided like always; showing its shimmering mirage of what all was happening down in Midair Stadium. That colorful light kept dancing upon the grooves in the stone walls, refracting and reflecting while the immersive acoustics of its sound faintly echoed around the whole chamber.

However, there wasn't a single soul in here anymore to experience its ethereal beauty.

* * *

 **Music/Song:** **_"Turning into Tiny Particles... Floating through Empty Space"_**

 _* Midair Stadium *_

 _"Alright everyone, who's ready to see some smashing action!?"_ The announcer asked energetically, though the whole arena gave their only expected answer; reaching an even greater peak of enthusiastic cheers. The opening ceremony had concluded in all its honor at last, and it was now time for the smashes to begin.

 _"In this opening bracket of the first round, we have two returning super stars! If they could please remain in the center!"_

Much to the audience's delight, only Mario and Kirby now stayed in the middle of the giant smash insignia after all the other smashers and news crews had finished filing back across the walkway ramp into the training facility. The two were alone out there, but they weren't truly isolated from everything quite yet.

 _"On the north side of the platform, we have our legendary little man in red himself... Mario of the Mushroom Kingdom!"_

Waving all around and basking in the crowd's showering approval, the short mustached man then turned and glanced up at his dear Princess Peach in the royal audience. He even made a sweet little gesture to her by blowing a subtle kiss with his hand, offering her a little tip of his cap as well. The princess' cheeks blushed ever so slightly as she smiled happily; returning a quick nod of gratitude. Daisy, sitting just beside her, had seen the little act of course and gently nudged her sister on the arm, playfully winking an eye.

 _"And facing him this morning on the south side is the hailed young Star Warrior... Kirby of Dreamland!"_

What followed in the immediate wake of his introduction was an almost ear-piercing swell of gleeful squeals, primarily coming from the younger girls in the crowds. It was absolute adoration for Kirby as he stood up on the tips of his red shoes, flapping his pink arms and beaming to all his avid fans out there. The strength of his support might have even surpassed Mario's by just a hair's width.

But then, just to amplify this electrifying excitement already transfusing about in the air, the announcer asked everyone, _"Tell me, ladies and gentlemen, what better way is there to kick off this tournament on such a beautiful day!?"_

A better way couldn't be found indeed, for this sense of eagerness was merely a footnote to the real extent of the whole feeling. Yet, it was now time for everyone to retake their seats and respectfully lower their voices, because the beginning was nigh.

Mario and Kirby stepped aside, watching along with everyone else as that grand tapestry of the smash banner was slowly lifted back up into the air, and off the platform so the white boundary marks were visible once again on the bluish AstroTurf.

With there being only the two of them left, the surface area for conducting a one-on-one match was far too long and wide since it had to be large enough to fit the several hundred smashers in the middle during the opening ceremony. The two glanced around themselves when a prompt onset of metallic clangs and motorized whirring sounded, making the elongated sides fold inward and start disappearing under the rest of the structure.

The smash platform was a remarkable contraption that was constructed in large, tile-like sections and was controlled by a grid of hydraulic mechanisms underneath. It allowed for any portion of the surface to be enlarged, shrunk, raised, or lowered at a moment's notice. Of course, in this case it'd been shrinking to a much smaller and rectangular size.

Across the chasms, on the sideline platforms there were a number of camera crews ready to film the action, but the very last person to scamper across the walkway ramp was a dark-spotted Toad referee. He wore an appropriate black-and-white striped t-shirt, a whistle hanging around his neck, and a PA headset microphone atop his head.

Mario and Kirby faced him as he hopped up onto the platform, because this was literally the final step before everything could begin. The three of them were now truly isolated from everything else, and the mechanical whir of the ramp retracting back sealed the deal.

 _"Smashers,"_ the announcer then spoke in a command, _"Please face and greet your opponent."_

The two did just that, facing each other and firmly shaking hands once more.

"Poyo!" Peeped a beaming Kirby, to which Mario chuckled a brief time.

"Mhmm, good luck-a-to you too, Kirby. May the best-a-smasher win?"

"Poyo." The Star Warrior happily agreed, giving a small wink to accompany his word.

"... Alright now, good luck to you both." The referee then declared, "Remember the first and most important of the smashing rules of engagement: _Good sportsmanship above all else._ You're allowed to maneuver anywhere back and forth in these white lines, and of course, the first one of you to fall off the platform loses the round _when_ the nets are struck."

Just like in any other sport, it was always a procedure to dictate the basic rules to every one of the smashers right before their match, even though most of them knew said rules by heart. Being the veteran smashers that they were, Mario and Kirby still nodded though; fully acknowledging the referee's words as he concluded.

"This bracket will be determined by the _best of three rounds_ ; so whenever you're ready, you may take your positions and place your trophies."

With their trophy forms of themselves firmly in hand, the two turned about face from one another and began walking to opposite sides of this now-very rectangular platform, with Mario on the north end and Kirby on the south end. They could almost hear their individual footsteps pressing over the droves of sound still coming from the crowds as they strode closer toward their starting places. Each and every thump of their slow and steady heartbeats empowered them.

Down to the right side of their spots, there were small yet visible ring mounts to set the trophy models on. Mario and Kirby did so in unison, clicking them into place which caused a bright aurora of luminescence to rise up from a translucent pad right next to it. An ethereal halo-like outline then whisked around both of them before it absorbed directly into their bodies.

This was just a glimpse at those unknown forces from ancient times; something that most people would deem magical powers. They were at work here in a most mysterious way, giving each smasher the indefinite ability to prevent any form of physical injury or pain from their bodies. The only possible explanation could be that the aura creates an invisible protective layer, making any attack from any weapon become a knock-back force instead, depending on its strength when it strikes the body. This was of course very important, considering what all could happen to someone. Nevertheless, whatever mystical materials comprised this trophy connection system, it somehow allowed that force to become a very perceivable form of energy.

 _"Smashers, are you ready?"_ Finally, the announcer asked the two as they'd taken their starting stances.

Mario raised a hand, making a thumb-up gesture before going back to waiting calmly. The entire stadium promptly descended into a very eager silence once more like it had for the opening ceremony, only this time it was from the ever-growing feeling for the countdown just a moment away.

 _"Three..."_

Now it was time. The announcement of this single number started it all. Closing their eyes and summoning their inner smashing spirits, Mario and Kirby prepared themselves for what was to come.

 _"Two..."_

 _All the possibilities... What could happen? Who would win? Mario, or Kirby?_ The crowds all seemed to collectively ponder these things in the silence's very excited stillness, but the energy just kept building higher. All eyes and all camera lenses were directed down there, towards the center.

 _"One..."_

Each moment became stretched again, into what seemed like full minutes as even the soft breeze passing through their ears became nothing but a distant and muffled drone. Everyone held their breaths as if they weren't allowed to breathe any air at all, until that final magic word burst through.

 _"GO!"_

Both Mario's and Kirby's eyes snapped back open simultaneously, but neither of them made a move at first. They must have been waiting to figure out the other's strategy, but Mario then seized the moment at hand. He lunged toward Kirby, leaping high into the air with his fist clenched and reared back behind his head.

The whole stadium quickly came back to its maximum life in witnessing the plumber's famous airborne smash attack to kick things off right away. Kirby seemed to predict the move however, and sidestepped just in the nick of time for Mario's fist to narrowly whoosh by and slam into the AstroTurf with a heavy thud. The Star Warrior countered with a broad kick of his own that would've struck right on Mario's torso, but he swung his arm back and around, knocking the foot away and sending Kirby back a few steps.

Mario sprinted forward once more with adrenaline streaming through every vein in his body. This haste of his resurgence caught Kirby by surprise, so he landed a clean slide-tackle right under the pink bulk of his opponent. Kirby flipped over, bouncing a few times on the ground, but then Mario followed right up and grabbed him by the feet. He swung him around a few times before tossing him across the entire platform to land on the other side.

Crowds roared with an utter exuberance as Mario simply adjusted his cap so it was back on straight, letting the shade line from the sun just about pierce his blue eyes. He confidently stood there in his smashing stance, waiting for what might possibly come next from his opponent.

Although downed, Kirby was not in the least bit out yet. Instead, he leaped back up to his feet with determination spelled out all across his face and sprinted back across to engage Mario in a wild tussle of jabs, dodges, and attempted counter-attacks.

Even now in such an early stage of the match, Midair Stadium seemed it could hardly contain itself. To think that this was only the first match of many, many more to follow on this first day of the grand milestone smash tournament.

The hype was truly alive and blistering, like a beautiful kind of fever.

* * *

 **Music/Song:** **_"Dissonance"_**

It was interesting how the rest of the smashers were all gathered further back in the training facility, sitting on moved-in benches, stools, and chairs around a large projector screen. Of course they were watching the live match unfold from outside, but Luigi and Yoshi were the only ones actually standing down at the very end of the opened exit hall. Perhaps their eagerness was much stronger for them due to witnessing the real deal right there in front of them, just across the chasm.

"Let's-a-go my bro, Ma-ri-o!" Proudly cheering his older brother on, Luigi cupped his hands over his mouth and hoped for his calls to just maybe be heard above all the other voices cheering likewise.

Yoshi was doing a little hopping dance of sorts, for he too supported his portly partner in the red shirt and joyfully exclaimed, "Yoshi, Yoshi!"

But alas, this profound excitement among the hundreds of others inside proved to be more powerful, since they were all clamoring and cheering amongst themselves over either Mario or Kirby. Very loud outbursts and reactions came at whatever was happening, be they positive or negative.

"Agh c'mon Mario, grab 'im! Grab 'im by the feet again!" Someone would holler from the crowd, only to have another teasingly retort, "No, Kirby! Don't let that _spaghetti sucker_ get a hold of ya! Pull 'im by his big ol' nose!" A number of the smashers were even passing money bills around and placing bets with one another on who might in fact win the match.

The truth was this though: It didn't matter who was from what nation or world in whichever one of the star systems, because they were all here as friendly opponents; smash brothers for that matter, with Nassazarians, Lylatians, and Aminussians alike.

Marth and Roy sat closely together on one bench, though the blue-haired Prince was eagerly chiming, "Careful, Mario! Watch your guard! Don't let it down!"

"... You really won't be letting that one go any time soon, huh Marth?" The red-haired swordsman joked, nudging him on the shoulder. Still, his face beamed from enjoying the match too.

A bit off to the side, Donkey Kong leaned back against the wall with a jubilant Diddy Kong perched on the broadness of his buff shoulder. The troupe of Jiggly Puff, Charizard, Squirtle, and Greninja on the other hand were lounging together on a bench in a more isolated spot, but were watching with the same absorbed interest. They also found it right to converse among themselves in their own Pokémon jargon.

"Gre? Greninja?" The water Pokémon asked as Jiggly Puff happily bobbed her head up and down, replying, "Jiggly!"

What exactly the two creatures were discussing in terms of a topic though was really anyone's guess. All that one could maybe decipher was a gruff grunt coming from Charizard, which sounded more like a quick chuckle in response to whatever his fellow Pokémon were talking about.

Over on another bench, a ways away from the main group, Link sat alone with his long green hat off like he often did. His chin rested on the top of his sheathed Master Sword's handle as he attentively watched just about every single little detail playing out on the projector screen between Mario and Kirby.

Also among this crowd of smashers near the very rear were Lucina, Ike, Red, and Pikachu who was sitting up on his trainer's shoulder. They found trying to peer over the hundreds of heads in front of them was both difficult and pointless, but then they seemed to collectively turn from catching a drift of Luigi's and Yoshi's faint but more inviting cheers. With that, they smiled and agreed to go join their two companions there at the end of the exit hall.

"Hey guys, I didn't even know you could be out here!" Red called with a little swivel of his cap to Luigi and Yoshi, who happily turned to see the others joining them. "Geez, I'm surprised everyone else isn't up with y'all. This is just about the best seat in the whole house... well, minus the seat of course."

Ike then thought to add onto Red's point, "Huh... Regardless of seats or not, it's sure better out here than trying to see a screen half-blocked by moving heads and shoulders!"

After coming to a stop just beside them, Lucina quietly observed Mario and Kirby's ongoing match out there for several moments. A grin formed on her lips, and she began to root with a cute little chime of her own, but it was in support of the Star Warrior.

"Come on, Kirby! Show the man you're his equal!"

Ike glanced over at her, finding it a bit surprising that she was cheering for Kirby and not Mario; especially since she'd been praising him not that long before. He swiped his hand back through his spiky indigo-colored hair, though he couldn't help but gaze somewhat shyly at her backside; eyeing her cape and then her figure up and down.

"... Um, Lucina?" He thought to point it out to her. "I... kind of figured you'd be going more for Mario...!"

"I was tempted to, yes..." she happily explained, "But from what I've heard, Kirby's always been somewhat of an underdog... so I guess I figured he needs some love too, right?"

"Perhaps..." Ike tilted his head from side to side as he jokingly reasoned, "Although, you practically _worshiped_ him earlier as though he were a god, or a savior..."

Lucina just scoffed, amused. "Aha, I guess I did! I don't know though... I also have a hunch telling me Kirby's fortunes are looking great! He might just actually win! Won't you join with me, Ike?"

"Hmm, well I..." He scratched the back of his neck, trying to decide.

"Let's go, Kirby! Show him what you're made of!" Lucina quickly turned to face back out at the action, continuing her cheering and leaving Ike there to think for a moment. However, with a warm smile he decided to join in with her as they chanted a playfully phonetic rhyme together.

 _"Kirby, Kirby, you can win this tourney!"_

Mid-chant, Lucina shifted her eyes over at Ike and was joyous that he was joining with her. Red and Pikachu on the other hand noticed that the support for either of the smashers was split two-for-two now, but they ended up deciding to show their support for Mario along with Luigi and Yoshi.

"You can do it Mario!" Hollered the young trainer as he and the green-shirted plumber both chanted their own rhyming hymn to try and counter the others'.

 _"Let's go, Ma-ri-o!"_

"Pika, Pika-pi!" Even Pikachu shared these feelings of such enthusiasm as well, because he jubilantly hopped down off of Red's shoulder and scooted from side to side on his stubby feet in a little dance. He even scampered around the others' taller legs a few times as the five of them cheered for their mustached hero clad in red out there.

Now it was Captain Falcon who caught a drift of their cheers as well, which for some reason seemed to overpower all the other voices in the room around him. He glanced back over his shoulder from watching the projection screen and saw those fellow smashers of his, celebrating there at the opened end of the hall. So, with a thoughtful smile he too decided to strut his way over and join them; passing a lone Little Mac along the way who was probably the only one not watching the match at all. He was occupied at one of the punching bags instead, getting some last quick bits of practice in.

Coming to a standstill beside Ike, the F-zero racer lightly tugged on his yellow scarf; adjusting it to a more comfortable position before jokingly asking, "Mario's sure showin' lil' Kirby those moves, huh? I just hope he _stretched good_ like I told him to..."

Ike quickly chuckled in response. "Well, I figure right now they're showing each other the best they've got! It's sure close, so I can't even say who'll win!"

The two happily kept watching the action and Captain Falcon uttered a light scoff himself.

"Hmm, well in that case..." His voice promptly amped up to a holler, "C'mon, Mario! _Show me your moves!"_

Hearing his enthusiastic words, Red nudged Luigi on the shoulder and playfully proclaimed, "Haha, yes! Hear that, Luigi? Doug's with us!"

Lucina looked over at the both of them, but shot a teasing glare specifically to Ike who could only shrug with a small blush staining his cheeks. She just ended up laughing with a warm smile too however, and threw her arms up in celebration. She and Ike both continued their own chant, equally supportive of the pink puffball.

 _"Kirby, Kirby! You can win this tourney!"_

Friendly rivalries like this prevailed all over the stadium both inside and outside, but out there on the platform, Mario and Kirby were still in the very thick of it.


	8. Heartbreaker

**CHAPTER 07 -** **HEARTBREAKER**

 **Music/Song:** _ **"Devil Wind"**_

In the watchful eyes of the Toad referee, Mario's fist clashed against Kirby's pink appendage swinging from the opposite direction, causing their strikes to be stopped dead in their paths. It was another close-quarters tussle, but this opening match had just gotten started.

Entire rows of the crowds meanwhile began standing up, raising their arms to help spur a giant crowd-wave starting to go in laps around the arena. On top of that, half of everyone seemed to be chanting the vast echo of either Mario's name or Kirby's name back at the opposite side. It was an awesome act of bickering that really had to be seen and heard to be believed.

People were utterly ecstatic over this whole spectacle nevertheless. They held up countless signs, flags, and banners with vivid illustrations or names drawn on the fronts, waving them all about and showing their utmost support for whomever they might have been rooting for. Other, more devout fans who were perhaps approaching fanatical levels, had even painted their faces and bodies with the bright flag colors of their homelands or worlds.

Along different seating sections, stadium staff were carrying around portable racks with drinks and snacks, offering them out to anyone who wanted one. Many did so, and all the while, that huge set of display screens showcased the live match in much more glorious detail for all the people way up there on the higher levels.

Most incredibly though was how all these things could be going on at once. All this beautiful liveliness and energy was being cherished by everyone here in the day's light and cool breeze, like a euphoria that no words could properly describe. Yet, amid everything, the main focus was still down there on the smash platform, where the action was becoming much more heated.

* * *

Mario held the offensive pressure on Kirby ever since that blunt collision, and was steadily forcing him closer and closer to the platform's edge. In a last ditch effort, the Star Warrior shot out his right foot in a low angle and managed to strike Mario directly on the side. He grunted, stumbling back a few steps.

The assault faltered here on Mario's part, and Kirby quickly took advantage. He forced his red-shirted opponent to throw up his arms and block as he swiftly threw jab after jab at his torso, managing to gain some leeway from his dangerously close proximity to the edge. With Mario now on the defensive end, it was time to take a chance.

Kirby lunged forward, trying to follow up his string and tackle Mario by grabbing around his waist, but the mustached-man seemed to know his pink opponent would try for that. He rolled aside while Kirby dove straight past and face-planted on the AstroTurf surface instead.

A sensational reaction of mixed emotions erupted from all over the arena, from eager howls to shrieks.

Mario had the clear advantage thus far, and this might have been Kirby's only chance to turn it around. Those fearful thoughts for many of his fans began to come true when the plumber grabbed hold of the Star Warrior's feet. Once again he swung around on a pivoted foot and threw Kirby, only this time the direction was straight off the platform.

Kirby seemed to do nothing to save himself at first. He just kept descending further and further from the platform, almost landing on the cradle of safety nets which would make him KO'd. But alas, he wasn't quite finished yet.

Just as he was about to strike them, he inhaled a huge amount of air and puffed himself up. Flapping his arms, he began to ascend back toward the ledge where Mario had now taken a defensive stand at. He tried to keep his breathing steady from the strenuous physical activity as he waited, watching carefully as his belligerent quickly came up to the platform's level. He was surprised though when Kirby rose a bit higher than him, likely for gaining a little air superiority.

The whole stadium meanwhile became sucked dry of every form of sound in a matter of seconds, with all the millions of eyes and cameras being so transfixed on these next few moments which would determine the match's outcome.

Kirby figured he was the right distance above Mario to go for a downward attack, so he did. He spun his body around and attempted his famed twister-kick, but there was one problem. He'd started the move just a dime too early while in the air above his opponent, so he was left discombobulated from spinning.

He realized that he'd made a terrible mistake, but it was too late.

Silence rang out from everywhere as Mario leaped up into the air with his fist clenched, going for a second attempt at his airborne smash. This time however, it struck dead-on. A strong downward dunk connected with the top of Kirby's soft head just as he was about to land on the edge, and through a little squeak of his voice he rocketed straight back down to bounce gently on the nets.

All of this had happened in what seemed like the blink of an eye, but the match's outcome was as clear as the day's sky above.

 _"Yes, YES...!"_ Throughout the massive and dead-silent stadium, only one voice could be heard at first. That was the faint yet utterly exalted cheering of Captain Falcon, who waved his arms up and around among the few others standing there with him at the end of the exit hall.

At last, the Toad referee held up a green card tightly in his hand and announced into his headset's microphone, "That K.O is good! This first match is done!"

The astounding aural eruption of cheering finally followed, for the K.O was indeed Mario's. His name started being chanted all around the arena, helping to confirm it ever the more.

 _"What a breathtaking opening act that was, ladies and gentlemen!"_ Declared the announcer as he joined in with the roaring excitement. _"The winner of the first match is without a doubt... Mario! I say, give it up for our little man in red!"_

Humbly, the mustached plumber stood there at the very center of Sector N's attention in this moment. He took off his cap and smiled big, bowing politely back to show his gratitude of everyone's approval. The glory was all his to reap in the congratulating light being showered by the Nassazar, along with that cool breeze caressing the sweat-tinged hair on his head. Mario was merely doing it in his true nature however; that of pure goodwill and honor.

He wasn't ever someone who would be overly boastful, like so many other smashers would do if they had won decisively like this.

* * *

"Yeah! Alright, _Mario-mah-man!"_ Captain Falcon was so jubilant now that he swiftly glanced down and around, seeing Pikachu standing right next to his legs. He snatched the yellow Pokémon up off of the floor and held him out by his front arms, before he started swinging him around in a comical dance of sorts.

"He did it! He did it!" The F-zero racer sang energetically, "Mah-man-Mario did it!"

Pikachu's pointy ears and lightning-shaped tail swayed to one side from the inertia as he adorably shut his eyes, gleefully sharing this true excitement and laughing in his jargon, "Pika, pika-pi!"

Also giddy with energy over Mario's exhilarating victory were Luigi, Yoshi, and Red. They all did big high-fives with one another as the trainer exclaimed, "Told ya he'd do it, Luigi!"

"Haha, oh yeah!" Luigi was definitely overjoyed, and glanced another time at his older brother standing out there to reaffirm it. "Mama-mia, my bro did it! Yahoo!"

Even Yoshi added a final cheer by hailing, "Yoshi!"

All the while, further back in the training facility, both energetic cheers and disgruntled groans bellowed from all the other smashers. They were obviously very divisive from supporting either Mario or Kirby, and now that Mario had won, the projector was showing an instant replay of that glorifying finishing move in a plethora of fancy camera angles. Money bills were also being ruefully passed around to those who had won the bet on him, or vice-versa.

But then there was Lucina. Despite all the celebrations among the others, she just crossed her arms with a visible hint of slight disappointment in her eyes from the outcome, though a little smirk still remained on her lips.

"Mm, that's kind of a shame. I think Kirby could've managed, had that last kick of his connected and thrown off Mario's defense again..." She tried to reason to the others, but no one seemed to be listening so she just sighed, "Regardless, I guess this was the luck of the draw for Mario."

"Hehe, c'mon now Princess _Lucy..._ don't be salty." A mischievous Captain Falcon wisecracked from his place beside her, "You _had_ to know he'd win with a dunker like that!"

She turned to face him, but saw how Pikachu was happily sitting atop his shoulder.

"Winning isn't about being lucky... it's about being _bold!"_ Chuckled the F-zero racer, "And that's _exactly_ what Mario was right there. He really hit lil' Kirby over the head with this one!"

Lucina didn't seem fazed one bit though. With a sense of doubt in her tone, she challenged him, ""Hmm... I fear you might be assuming too much. Even _you_ can't deny that luck at least plays a small part, of that I'm certain."

 _"Maaaaybe_ so...!" He just cocked his head with a smirk and came back, "But still, ya might wanna think again on who you'll be rootin' for!"

The Ylissean Princess couldn't help but feel a bit disheartened, so she turned to Ike to see what he thought of the outcome. He was apparently more neutral, telling by the reaction upon his face. She only saw him blink once after watching the side of his face for several moments.

"Well, so much for that..." She said to the mercenary at last, adjusting her scabbard a little bit.

"... Hmm?" Ike's attention snapped back. "Oh, sorry... I didn't quite catch you."

Lucina scoffed lightly. "Remember how I said I had that hunch?"

"Oh, right, _that_...!" Ike glanced back out at Mario on the platform as Lucina fidgeted with her crossed arms. "Heh, I'm pretty sure I know who I'll be cheering for this time...!"

"... Huh?" She realized he'd missed what she was trying to get at. "Ah, I guess what I meant is... I still believe in it."

Ike looked at her, somewhat in disbelief. "You're _still_ going with Kirby's chances, eh? Even after what just happened?"

Lucina shrugged, but defended her choice with reason. "Well, as they say... the future is not written. I know I've learned sometimes that anything, and I mean _anything,_ can happen. So yes, I guess I do still feel confident for the little Star Warrior."

The mercenary raised an eyebrow briefly, thinking about her words and what all they could mean. Perhaps she did have a point.

"It's your choice," he stated, "but I think I'm definitely going with Mario this time."

"Oh?" Lucina then gave a rather inquisitive smirk, prompting him with, "Though, what if I also told you... I've been _right_ every time with my intuitions?"

Ike returned a small scoff of his own. "Hold on a minute, are you saying you can predict-"

"Hey uh, guys...?" Red suddenly intervened with their little conversation as a mediator of sorts. "Couldnt we all just agree that it'll be a really good match, no matter what?"

"Pika-wika!" Pikachu energetically agreed with his trainer as he hopped down off of Captain Falcon's shoulder. They were right though, so Ike and Lucina just gave each other another quick grin to let it settle.

"Heck yeah!" Then the F-zero racer chimed in as well, "We gotta get ready to see Mario kick some _bootay_ again!"

Lucina couldn't help but lightly shake her head and sigh through her nose at this. She was willing to prove all of them wrong by trusting her feelings on the future, however it seemed Red also had some differing thoughts of his own.

"Actually, Douglas, a part of me says it's gonna be a different fight. I'm pretty sure it won't be where, um..." He was about to say something more, but another voice promptly rose up instead.

"... Where one mistake, and it's all over..." From behind the group of Luigi, Yoshi, Pikachu, Red, Lucina, Ike, and Captain Falcon, it was Little Mac who stared out with a blank concern at the sights ahead while a small towel rested around his neck. He'd come over to join them just in time for witnessing the final moments of that first match, and the boxer spoke as though he were connecting the pieces of something profound.

"Huh, Doc really _wasn't_ kidding..."

* * *

Quite unlike the rest of the stadium, everyone in the royal audience had applauded much more respectably, but Peach still had her hands covering her mouth from being so surprised at the sudden nature of the match's outcome. Daisy on the other hand was not surprisingly the only one actually standing up on her seat, hollering just like a true teenage cheerleader at heart.

"Woohoo!" She chanted, "Yeah, you go Mario! Holy mackerel, did you see that ownage, sis?!" She eagerly sat back down and just about hurt her neck in turning towards her quiet sister so quickly, leaning in close to hear what she had to say.

"Um, well..." Peach finally answered, "It sure ended real quick..."

She paused a moment before giggling somewhat. "... ended real quick from his fist...!"

"Gosh-darn right! He had poor Kirby back on his heels almost the whole time!" Daisy then swung the opposite way and faced Zelda, who was sitting silently from having concluded her share of applause. Daisy nudged her on the shoulder, asking, "How 'bout it, Zelda? What did you make of that awsomeness?"

The Hylian Princess tilted her head a bit and formed a subtle grin, though she didn't think to face Daisy. Instead, she calmly answered, "I'm not sure I can say... though I guess it was an impressive display by Mario. Still, I can't help but wonder if Kirby was purposely holding something back..."

"Agh," The Sarasan Princess just seemed to wave off the notion. "Sounds like excuses to me, Zeldy."

"... We'll see though, shan't we Daisy?" At last, Zelda turned to face Daisy head on with her cerulean-blue eyes piercing deep into Daisy's own, past a suggestive smile. Her eyes, just like Link's, had that special deep quality in them which could effectively persuade or deter someone depending on the scenario.

In this case though, it definitely seemed to deter Daisy because she just uttered an uncertain scoff and replied likewise, "Yeah, I guess we will..."

* * *

 **Music/Song:** **_"To the Ends of the Earth"_**

Down on the safety nets, Kirby lay flushed with a somewhat disappointed look upon his face, which was half-covered by the stark line of the smash platform's shadow from above. He gazed upward as the shadow's edge struck right along his squinted eyes, and observed the magnificent white halo of the sun bulging over the silhouetted shape of the structure. Seemingly out of nowhere, the tiny thought suddenly crossed his mind that the time of day was still only around noon.

Then, Kirby's much bigger realization of the present moment came back to him. Somewhere up there on the platform were all the missed opportunities and possibilities he'd had for that match. Now they were whisking off like dust, forgotten with the passing gusts of wind.

"Poyo..." His cheeks were even tinted a darker shade of pink from the apparent embarrassment flowing through him; but despite that feeling, he fully accepted the outcome for what it was. He'd messed up his timing by a fraction of a second, but that's just how things were in these tournaments. Like Little Mac had solemnly recalled from Doc Louis' wise words, even the smallest mistake could quickly spell defeat.

After turning over so he lay on his front side, Kirby stared straight down for a number of seconds; through those few layers of netting separating him from many kilometers of a free-fall. He watched those blanketing patterns of fluffy strato-cumulus clouds churning slowly, shrouding any sight of the land so far down there. Even so, he thought he saw the faint edge of a huge lake between a little crack in the clouds.

By now though, several of those Koopa Paratroopas on the stadium crew who'd been initially standing by on the sideline platforms, had flown down and come to a hover right above the KO'd Star Warrior.

"Need any help there, little fella?" One of them asked in a friendly manner, but Kirby shook his head.

"Poyo." He answered brief, for he was perfectly alright. He got back up on his feet and wobbled a bit from standing on the semi-elastic nets, before inhaling another huge gulp of air to fly back up to the platform.

Mario still stood there with his foot right near the edge, setting his cap back on and happily holding out his hand as Kirby approached the ledge. He grasped onto it and thus the two smashers were re-united where everyone could see them again.

"Hey, you did-a-well, Kirby." Mario leaned in close, lightly brushing off the top of his opponent's head where his fist had struck. The friendliness in his voice was as reassuring as that warm, lighthearted smile upon his face was.

"Hehe... I just-a-hope that didn't hurt-a- _too much,_ eh?"

Kirby simply beamed back with a quick nod. "Poyo!"

He fully understood Mario's intent, because how could someone with such a cheerful personal nature like Kirby's possibly be upset in a scenario like this?

After standing back up, they gave each other a good sportsman-like handshake before turning to face the awaiting crowds of their entire known galaxy. They stood there side by side, holding each other's arms up to the vivid midday sun and waving all around as they were granted another huge round of cheers and adoration. Even the Toad referee came up to them again and offered his own congratulating say.

"Good job, both of you. That was a pretty solid match."

Both smashers began to feel as though they were weightless; being carried away amidst this immense current of cheering voices, but then the announcer's voice arose and overpowered everything once more.

 _"Well, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it! The very heart of what these tournaments are all about!"_ After that whole pause for celebrations, he proudly proclaimed, _"No matter who we are or where we may hail from, and no matter if we win or lose, there are no boundaries between us in the end! We are all here from across Sector N, together as one, just like Mario and Kirby down there right now!"_

Another thunderous applause followed in wake of those striking but very truthful words.

 _"... But that was only the first set!"_ He energetically added on, _"This is going by the best of three, so we still have another match, or two, to witness depending on what happens!"_

Meanwhile, several more Koopa Paratroopas on the stadium crew had gathered several water coolers and were hoisting them up in pairs. They then flew out to the main platform and offered Mario, Kirby, and even the Toad referee a quick refreshing drink in-between the matches.

"Grazie, boys." Mario graciously took a paper cup and filled it, taking a few rejuvenating sips of the ice-cold water. Kirby on the other hand just opened his mouth under the tap and let the cooler's entire volume empty into his seemingly bottomless pit-of-a-stomach, until the very last possible drop fell from the end of its knob.

In the meantime, the announcer went ahead and read out some honors for the sponsors of the event. _"Of course, we'd also like to take a moment and give a big thanks to each and every one of our sponsors, who are making this milestone tournament possible! Special funding is being provided from our associates at the Inter-Sectarian Sports Association,_ _the Mushroom National Bank,_ _Vista Range Group Limited, Star Cruise Lines, ..."_

Mario, in the middle of another sip, couldn't help but roll his eyes somewhat as that list of all the major sponsors and advertisers for Midair Stadium went on. If every single sponsor were to be listed, it would probably take a whole hour or two. Of course not many people really cared about the sponsors, but then again, none of this would be possible without them due to the unfathomable expenses associated with running an event as huge as this.

The three of them were finished with their refreshments now, so everything began resetting for the second match of the set. The group of Koopa Paratroopas withdrew back across the chasms to the side with the coolers and used paper cups in hand, disposing of them in a little recycling can nearby.

"Alright then," the Toad referee declared to Mario and Kirby, "If you're both ready, you can go ahead and retake your starting places."

Nodding, the two went and re-assumed their respective positions on each end of the platform next to their trophies, still placed there in the mounts.

Thus the plumber and the Star Warrior waited across from each other once more. With all seeming to be ready again, the announcer went ahead and clarified, _"Remember, this is the second match between Mario and Kirby! If Mario wins this one, he'll advance to the next round. If Kirby wins, we'll be having a third deciding match between these two super stars!"_

A final wave of approving howls swelled from the crowds, showing a good portion of the stadium would indeed love to see this set taken to a third match, so with that the announcer asked, _"Smashers, are you ready?"_

Mario raised his thumb up high once again, and as if on cue the whole stadium instinctively quieted all the way back down to that same anxious silence in awaiting the next countdown.

"Oh boy, here we go again guys...!" Captain Falcon leaned close to Luigi and Red, eagerly whispering as he and the others still stood there at their perfect viewpoint. The time was nigh, and from out of the quiet, that magical first number was spoken again.

 _"Three..."_

Everything seemed completely fresh, for the scene was reset. This was either Mario's or Kirby's match to seize, so again, they slowly closed their eyes as the numbers kept decreasing. The electrostatic nature of all this excitement fizzing throughout the air on the other hand was doing just the opposite. There seemed to be no way it could stop rising higher and higher.

 _"Two..."_

Mario figured he had to repeat a similar strategy to what he did last time: Put an offensive pressure on Kirby through predictions while only taking occasional small strikes. The question for him though was how much more difficult could it really be?

 _"One..."_

Kirby had a much tougher challenge ahead of him. If he wanted another chance to win this bracket, he had to not only emerge victorious from this match, but also do so in the next one. A totally new strategy was required on his part. He couldn't mess up this time, but the question was how would he manage?

 _"_ _GO!"_

It was day one of the Bicentennial Galactic Smash Tournament: The singles. Round one, bracket one, match two. To imagine that this was still at the beginning, all things considered.

* * *

Now came another clash, a series of punches, and more cheers...

Almost immediately however, the second match was playing out very differently than the first. This time it was Kirby gaining the advantage early on. He had definitely altered his strategy, while his red-shirted opponent was trying to do the exact same approach as before; without a plan B.

Perhaps Mario thought it would be rather easy based on the first match, but as things seemed now, it was exactly the opposite.

"Aw no! C'mon Mario, _nooo!"_ Captain Falcon worriedly clasped the top of his head with both hands as he witnessed Mario getting steadily knocked back towards the platform's edge so soon. A blunt upward strike from Kirby then caused him to stumble back a full two meters, as it impacted right on his portly torso after having his defense broken down.

Little Mac watched the ongoing action with a sense of neutrality on whom he might have been rooting for, but the others definitely had conflicting thoughts. Luigi was covering the lower half of his face with both hands, wincing at every consecutive hit his older brother was taking out there. Red exchanged an anxious glance with Pikachu, who was back to being perched on his right shoulder. Even Yoshi had trouble keeping his jittery feet in place, and was emitting some soft but worried whimpers in hoping the best for his short human partner in red and black out there.

They were all sharing a great concern for Mario's fighting performance, or what looked like an unfortunate lack thereof this time.

Lucina and Ike on the other hand seemed to be at a loss of words, seeing how fast Kirby was managing to turn it around in his favor. Their mouths were both partially agape, and they even looked at one another a few times out of surprise. Deep inside herself though, Lucina was jumping up and down with excitement, for she was being proven right.

All the other hundreds of smashers were still gathered further back around that projector screen with the live match showing, and there was definitely a more abrasive sense of competition this time.

"Agh, come on Mario! Watch out! No, block that! Get him, _get him!"_ Someone would shout, before another fired back, "Yeah, Kirby! Push 'im back! Keep up the pressure, woohoo!"

There was apparently no middle ground whatsoever. Everyone in there became much more rowdy, with a strong dissonant jumble of voices clouding the air.

Yet back outside, it was all that invisible energy transfusing somewhere between all the dense layers of clamor from the crowds. This was the match which would determine Mario's decisive two-to-zero victory, or the one that would potentially give Kirby a second chance at claiming the victory for himself.

* * *

Mario huffed a quick breath and threw up his arms, parrying another incoming slug from Kirby. He countered, swinging his leg down along the ground and clipping the Star Warrior's feet. He flipped over, collapsing on his side, but managed to roll away just as the plumber dove for a tackle. Both his arms and face dug into the rough turf a bit after the miss, but it seemed Kirby was already a step ahead. He hopped over Mario's head and bounced off his back once, before landing in front of his legs and grabbing them.

Now it was his turn.

A bewildered look covered Mario's face as he was hurled into a high back-drop, slamming right onto his rear with a dense thud and a loud wave of reactions from the crowds to accompany it. He managed to pick himself up quickly though, and turn back just as Kirby was running at him again.

He tried to go for a flying spin-kick, but a determined Mario foresaw it this time. The plumber jumped up first and gave the Star Warrior's body a broad side-kick of his own, sending him flying backwards instead. Tumbling across the ground, the pink puffball went a good several meters until he skidded to a stop.

With a sudden opportunity presenting itself, the plumber dashed forward, landing another clean slide-tackle right underneath and catching his opponent right as he was getting back on his feet. Kirby flipped over yet again, but managed to land upside-down on his hands and offer a backward kick straight across Mario's face as he was turning to follow up. He jolted, spinning around several times in the air, before falling flat on his hands and knees.

Unfortunately though, Mario could barely lift his head up before Kirby struck swiftly with an upper-cut that knocked him further back.

He stumbled and struggled to keep his balance when one of his shoes slipped halfway off the ledge, leaving him teetering precariously, but he turned to look back ahead just in time to catch sight of a determined Kirby barreling straight toward him.

Mario literally had no time to react. His opponent's foot impacted right on his chest and thrust him back, out into mid-air. His body suddenly became weightless, being carried now by nothing but the swelling sound currents of the crowds' reactions.

And yet, he somehow kept full focus. He threw out his arms in front of him and managed to barely grasp back onto the platform's edge with one hand, before his already-narrow chances of recovering were lost. He even swiftly reached out his free arm, just in time to catch his cherished red cap and save it from falling all the way down to the nets below.

Struggling to hang on for this very match's sake, Mario just couldn't manage to grab on with his other hand. Kirby came to a stop directly above him on the ledge and they both eyed one another for several moments, with Mario's expression being downright determined while Kirby's appeared rather satisfied.

The Star Warrior lifted his foot up to stomp the plumber's hand off the ledge, but he had other plans about to take form. Just as Kirby's foot was about to come down, Mario clenched his teeth tightly, summoning the utmost of his remaining inner strength. He grunted and swiftly reached all the way up with his other hand; fully passing the ledge and grabbing his opponent's grounded foot.

Then he pulled back, hard.

Mario's action caught Kirby completely off guard. All his stability was suddenly yanked away from under him. Now he too was out in mid-air, falling down to the nets once again while the plumber hung on dearly, hoping his last-ditch effort perhaps did the trick. But alas, this hectic smash still wasn't over quite yet.

Like last time, the pink puffball inhaled a huge volume of air, inflating himself and beginning to rise back toward the ledge where Mario was finally getting a firm hold with both hands. All the while, Midair Stadium quickly became devoid of any perceivable sound yet another time from the utterly electrifying eagerness. It was always these final few moments which were the most tense after all.

Mario became tired from struggling to hang on and was losing more and more of what remained of his sapped energy, but with heavy breathing he started lifting himself up. His face was visibly contorted due to the physical demands of it all, but he was slowly managing.

However, Kirby had risen about two meters above Mario's head and then exhaled all the air he'd been holding. In an act that seemed like more of a gag than anything else, he fell down onto Mario's head and used it as a convenient footstool to land safely back on the platform. That force of his weight was enough to cause the very last of the plumber's grip to slip off, and finally send him plummeting down with no hope of recovery.

He struck the safety nets and came to a rest after bouncing a few times, but the crowd's reaction seemed to be twofold.

All but silence prevailed at first, even from a certain F-zero racer who was just clasping the top of his head, flabbergasted. None of his companions there with him for that matter; not Luigi, Yoshi, Red, Pikachu, Little Mac, nor even Ike and Lucina could offer any kind of initial response. All of them retained speechless looks across their faces.

"That K.O is good!" The Toad referee finally declared through his headset, holding that green card up high in his hand again. "This match is done!"

In wake of those few words, that's when it came; the immense aural explosion of glorious fanfare, only this time it was all for Kirby's reaping. His name was chanted through and through, just like Mario's had been the time before. How the tables had turned, indeed. This match was probably already over though when Mario first got knocked off, since Kirby's air superiority was second to none in a situation like that. Still, the little mustached-man had put up a valiant fight to the bitter end.

 _"Wow, what a showing that was, ladies and gentlemen!"_ Even the announcer himself was a bit surprised as he told the results, _"The winner of this match is... Kirby! I can't believe it! He's managed to bring this set back neck and neck! It's one-to-one now!"_

The masses howled with rigorous approval as he spoke, because everyone knew what this meant. Now the third match was to be the decider for which of the two would advance to the next round, so the stakes were going to be even higher.

* * *

Peach for one was understandably a bit disheartened by her dear Mario's defeat, but wasn't on the verge of tears or anything. She might have been a quiet and reserved Princess on the outside, but on the inside she was undeniably strong-willed. Deep down she knew that her little red-shirted hero still had a good chance. Toadsworth and Birdo were nevertheless trying their best to help keep her spirits up.

"Oh, come now Princess Toadstool," Toadsworth began in his earnestness. "Please don't be distraught. Master Mario performed admirably, and I'm certain he'll pull through in the third match."

"That's alright, Toadsworth." Peach calmly and confidently replied, "I _know_ he will."

Meanwhile, all Zelda had to do was subtly shoot a satisfied grin at Daisy, raising her eyebrow up and down only once. She'd been proven correct from her speculation earlier, and she knew that Daisy knew as well because she definitely looked rather stiff. She tightened her lips and merely returned a dense look to Zelda, which probably said something like: _Yeah, alright Zelda. I get it... you were right, and I'm eatin' it... now just put a sock in it, will ya?_

* * *

"Oh, mama-mia...!" Luigi hopelessly pulled his cap down to cover his eyes and shut out the sights. If there was one thing he couldn't stand in life, it was seeing his dear older brother lose at competitive events; especially in a manner like this when he'd done so well right before. Of course, sharing this churning feeling of disappointment were his fellow supporters of Mario.

"Pika..." Muttered Pikachu as he articulated something in his jargon. His eyes and ears were lowered as he sat on Red's shoulder, who could only agree with his fuzzy yellow Pokémon partner, shaking his head and damply adding, "Yeah Pikachu, you said it. What a heartbreaker..."

Yoshi just stood there with his head hung down and sighed a small whimper of hopelessness. Even Little Mac had lowered his eyebrows a little bit from witnessing Mario's loss. There was one person here, however, who held quite the opposite reaction.

"Yes! Yes! Haha, I _knew_ Kirby had it in him!" An exuberant Lucina hopped around a few times, but then turned and embraced Ike with a big tight hug.

"L-Lucina...! What's that for...?" Ike, quite taken back from this, chuckled and looked down at her thick dark-blue hair since he was almost a full head taller than her.

She didn't realize what she'd just done, until her eyes widened and her cheeks burned bright red.

"Oh... m-my apologies, Ike." She quickly let go of him, standing shyly now with her hands behind her back. "I... guess I'm just excited for Kirby, you know...?"

"No, I wouldn't be sorry. You have every right to be excited, really!" The mercenary surprised her by heartily agreeing, "I can't believe you were right, because I was sure wrong! We all were! Maybe... we really ought to be listening to your intuitions more!"

"Ah, what am I saying...!? This is so wonderful, Ike!" Lucina jubilantly threw her arms around him again for the sake of their celebration.

"For Kirby's fortunes?" She then asked him.

"... Yes, for Kirby's fortunes...!" Ike gently hugged her back this time, but began to feel something inside himself that he couldn't quite describe; a kind of comforting warmth.

Beneath his smile and happiness, he was very surprised that Lucina was actually holding him so close like this here and now. He could smell the sweet scent of her fair hair as he closed his eyes, deep in thought. He didn't expect her to do this at all, but here she was embracing him, even doing so with a kind of passion.

Maybe, just maybe, Lucina did sense that Ike held some hidden feelings for her, and she was trying to show him that she acknowledged it.

The last one here though was none other than Captain Falcon, who looked especially sour this time around. He leaned against the tunnel wall with his arms crossed, and cocked his head a bit to the side.

"Ehh, that was nothin' _too special,_ if I can be the critic here." He tried to remain rational by declaring, "Kirby just got _lucky_ that time... and besides, ol' Mario has the next one that he'll win, right guys?"

Luigi, Red, Pikachu, and Yoshi all seemed to agree as they nodded slowly. Lucina wasn't daunted though, since she remembered the very words he had said to her not long before.

"... But I thought winning was about being _bold_ , no?" She began to tease, having now finished the hug with Ike. She mostly got a kick out of watching his face struggle to keep a straight expression.

"Hmm... I'd say Kirby sure hit Mario over the head with this one, wouldn't you say?"

Captain Falcon just sighed heavily. He obviously didn't want to face her, since he knew she was just toying with him on purpose for his mirrored remarks to her earlier.

"Yeah, you could _maybe_ say that..." He finally began admitting, but attempted to comically imitate her own voice as he tartly confessed, "What, whaddya want me to say...? Do ya want me to say... _'Sure, even you can't deny that luck at least plays a small part in it?'_ Is that what ya want?"

Of course Lucina could have made another snobby comeback, but instead she just smiled and giggled mischievously. She knew she was right about this, and she knew that he knew as well, even if he didn't want to show it.

"No, that's actually alright." She replied after a moment, satisfied. "I wouldn't make you do _that."_

Again, Captain Falcon grumbled and muttered something under his breath. He kept refusing to face the Ylissean Princess, but she kept watching him with an understanding smile before looking down at her fidgeting hands, and stepping over to a place right beside him. She nudged her elbow on his thick, muscle-laden forearm closest to her, and this simple touch instantly broke down all of that stubbornness he held.

He did finally turn to face her, a bit taken back of course, but Lucina's sly grinning was what made him break. He uttered a kind of admitting chuckle and just smiled along with her.

"Ah well," he started lightheartedly, "I'd reckon what _is_ fair to say... is that we're even now, eh?"

"Mhmm, that's one for one on _both_ counts!" She happily agreed with him. "And don't worry, you're not wrong. Mario _does_ still have a fair chance to win."

Indeed, everything was coming down to the bare wire now, but that nagging question remained.

Just who would end up prevailing? Mario, or Kirby?


	9. Out of the Blue

**CHAPTER 08 - OUT OF THE BLUE**

Away from Neightyvee, the Great Fox continued its quiet interstellar voyage toward that bright yellow beacon off in space that was the Nassazar. Not surprisingly though, inside the bridge, the team was having quite disdainful reactions to the second match's surprising outcome.

* * *

 _"D'agghh...!"_ Groaned Fox, face-palming as he saw Kirby's little act that claimed victory from Mario. While those instant replays of the match's highlights rolled with flashy animations and epic music, Falco nibbled on the end of another energy bar and shook his head at the screen.

"Well, screw that _.._.!" He crudely added in agreement, "I kinda thought our man had this in the bag!"

He kicked up his slip-on shoes onto the edges of the control board and rambled on, "Huh, 'guess not. Nothin' comes easy anymore, _especially_ havin' high hopes."

"D'aw, c'mon you guys," Slippy then joined in, seeming much more jovial than he had been. "It _was_ pretty awesome though, ya gotta admit! I think Mario still did pretty well and put up a good fight, even when he was hangin' there at the end."

"Yeah, I guess, but..." Fox tried to find reasoning with a baffled gesture up to the screen, uttering, "He dominated Kirby in the first one...! I mean, what happened here...?!"

"A change of tactics, that's what." Last but not least, Peppy gave his say on the matter with a chuckle. "Somehow, I knew Kirby had somethin' up his sleeve."

"Ha, _you're_ one to talk, Pep!" Falco butted back in, "Have you ever even smashed before? Yeah, I thought not..."

Peppy, obviously tired of the bird's near-constant vocal antics, shot back. "And...? What's your point?"

"My point is," Falco went on, "If I were Mario... ya know how many things I would've done differently? For starters, I'd have actually throw out another punch or two, instead of just keepin' my fists in front of my face the whole time!"

Scoffing, Fox then thought to point out to him, "Well, just remember man, it's _always_ easy saying that in good ol' 20/20 hindsight..."

Onscreen, those Koopa Paratroopa staff members were assisting Mario in getting back up to the platform. Once he'd gotten on his feet again, he simply nodded and honorably shook hands with a beaming Kirby. Thus, the two stood there in the very center of everything a second time, each basking in the glorious adoration. Mario however, despite doing his best effort in the fight, couldn't have been upset at the outcome. He was purely a good-sport at heart after all, and he fully accepted his mistake of not really having a tactic to fall back on. All too often, things like this just were the way they were.

Peppy scratched his fuzzy chin for a moment, watching it all with interest and thinking. He finally said what was likely on the other three's minds, "Well boys, looks like it's round three now. Gonna be real interestin' to see how this one'll play out."

"Hell yeah, it will." Fox solidly agreed with a crack of his knuckles and a quick flick of his bushy tail.

For the best live coverage of the events going on in Midair Stadium, the team had settled on watching the Mushroom Central News channel. It was appropriate perhaps, since it was the home-field network of the Mushroom Kingdom, so to speak.

Now that it was mid-match time again, Mario and Kirby were receiving another quick refreshment break. The view onscreen became cropped though, as the time was nigh for a group of commentators and analyzers for the smashes to begin their second discussion. They sat around a large glass table, up in one of the press boxes over-looking the whole arena.

Each of them talked about all kinds of technical things like Mario's and Kirby's individual performances, while also delving into key points during the match where something could have been done differently. All the while, extravagant motion-graphics accompanied a montage of the match's highlights with footage of either smasher as the commentators discussed, ever enthusiastic in their analysis.

Peppy pushed up the pair of small rounded glasses on his broad nose and scoffed before finally admitting, "I guess the slow-motion replays help a bit, but honestly... I can't really see what's goin' on anyway. These smashes... they're all just a blur in my eyes."

After popping the last piece of an energy bar into his mouth, Falco of course seized this opportunity for another quick teasing.

"Even with those specs on, Pep?" He gloated amid his chews, "Heh, maybe you'd better get 'em checked... _again."_

Sighing hopelessly, Peppy just retorted calmly, "I'm _not_ gonna start this with you now."

Their little session of bickering defused, but Slippy looked back over his shoulder and smiled in seeing ROB 64 now standing silently at the main control board, behind where the team was sitting. He'd successfully repaired their ship's manual controller robot, and was feeling rather proud of himself; likely in spite of Falco's frequent teasing when they were working together before Fox came up. Slippy may have been a mechanic by trade, but he also had a real knack for electrical work.

"How's everything looking back there, ROB?" He asked the robot, who moved his metallic fingers on sensor pads and analyzed various computer screens.

"All systems are normal." In that distinct fabricated voice, the team's robot confirmed. Hearing this, Fox's fuzzy and pointy ears perked up as he thought to throw out a question himself.

"Yo ROB, how much longer again until we reach Neightyvee?"

The robot tapped on a menu screen several times to find the information. "According to the calculated route... The Great Fox will enter Planet Neightyvee's atmosphere in approximately thirty minutes. The final destination, Midair Stadium, will take an additional eight minutes."

With that in mind, Fox shot a rather suggestive glance over to Falco, who was relaxed with his arms behind his head. He still wore those sweaty and dirty athletic clothes from the work earlier and could definitely use a cleanup. The vulpine figured he'd follow up vocally on that train of thought.

"Ya hear that, Falco?" He shot a playful grin at his wingman, tilting his head just slightly at the same time. "What was that you said earlier about...?"

"Ugh..." The bird let out a damp sigh and rolled his eyes somewhat. He knew Fox was right about it though. "Yeah, I guess I _do_ wanna be sharp and pretty like ya when we get there. I just wanna see how this last match between Mario and Kirbs turns out."

He slid his feet down off the control board and leaned forward, meeting the vulpine's green eyes with his blue. _"Then,_ I can go shower up and come out lookin' all spiffy, capiche?"

Fox just shrugged. "Sounds like a plan to me..."

His attention promptly shifted back up to the screen because Mario and Kirby had finished their mid-match refreshments, and were now preparing for the final round.

"Oh! Alright, here we go guys...!" He eagerly got comfortable in his chair again as he and his team waited, watching closely.

The scene had been reset a third time. The two smashers were on their respective sides of the platform, the Toad referee waited off to the side, and all that needed to come now were those magic few words from the announcer. They finally came, and for the most anxious-filled moments yet, the countdown commenced once more.

 _"Three..."_

The view onscreen cut to a closeup shot of Mario's face. His eyes bore a great shade of determination amid his otherwise eager expression. The stark shadow line from his cap struck downward in the day's light, right across his large round nose. Now he was the one who had to change his strategy for the coming fight, but a greater question lingered; would he manage to do it? His confidence of advancing here in the bicentennial tournament had suddenly been put in jeopardy.

 _"Two..."_

Next it cut over to Kirby's. He was quite calm on the contrary, despite the filling sensation of victory inside him from the prior match. He had to fully retain his focus though, for he too had a decision to make: Would he repeat his more aggressive approach that worked, or would he try something else to surprise his red-shirted opponent? He had to try and predict what Mario was planning this time, and had do decide very soon. After all, he'd earned himself this chance to advance in this grand tournament.

 _"One..."_

That same, seemingly eternal silence filled in the stadium's space for a third time. The Star Fox team had their attention collectively glued to the screen as those very same questions and thoughts swirled about in their minds, pondering all the possibilities of what was about to come.

 _"GO!"_

'Third time's the charm,' so the saying goes, but it could be said for either smasher now. There was everything to lose in this match, so neither Mario nor Kirby were willing to hold anything back. No hesitation was shown after that final word; the two sprinted straight at one another, about to clash there at the middle of the platform. With his fist clenched tightly, Mario sprang into the air and was going for another aerial approach, though Kirby kept running to attempt an assault from beneath.

The two were literally a meter apart from one another when suddenly, without any warning the screen flickered before it totally lost visual coverage of Midair Stadium. An abrasive hiss and a white blizzard of pure static took over both the sight and sound instead. The team was left baffled, sitting there as the realization hit them.

"... Whoa, hey?! What happened?!" Fox exclaimed in a surprised disdain, "What happened to the signal?!"

He leaped up from the comfort of his chair and swiftly reached over on the control board near him, trying to re-calibrate the static-filled screen with its storm-like audio, but to no avail. He bit down on his tongue and banged his fist against the side of the panel, grumbling.

"Ugh, this cannot be happening... this _cannot_ be happening!"

Falco lightly nibbled on the tips of his winged fingers before tossing the used wrappers of his energy bars in a bin back behind him. "And it was just startin', too! This is some bullshit!"

While an annoyed and muttering Fox kept checking the panel, both Peppy and Slippy didn't really know what to say. The match didn't matter nearly as much to them like it did to Fox and Falco, mainly because they'd come along just to watch the tournament. Regardless though, the old hare gave his own speculation.

"Hmm. Might be a storm... or some sorta atmospheric interference down on the planet."

"What...!?" Scoffing at that notion, Fox retorted, "Didn't you see how the weather looked down there, Pep? It was clear skies the whole time. How could it possibly be a storm?"

"I know, but I'm just sayin' it could be weather somewhere close by on the-"

Just as Peppy was clarifying, an alarm began beeping from one of the mainframe navigational computers and filled all of their ears. They glanced back as ROB 64 stepped over to that monitor and checked it before announcing, "Warning: A large surge of electro-magnetic energy waves has been detected, rapidly approaching the ship's rear starboard quadrant."

"Energy waves...?" Peppy inquired with unknowing, his large rabbit ears perking up. This was a very unexpected announcement, that even he'd turned around in his chair. "What kind of energy waves, ROB?"

The robot analyzed the streaming flow of statistical information, explaining, "A significant electro-magnetic pulse has just manifested itself in a nearby sector, to the rear starboard side of the Great Fox's present bearing. No nearby star or other celestial mass is currently expelling large amounts of radiation. Calculations determine this energy to be in the form of a focused beam, originating from an unknown source. The beam will cross in front of the Great Fox's present bearing in four, three, two, one..."

Fox and the others shot frightened glances to one another, but the alarm became more and more rapid with the countdown until a bright white light began pouring in from outside the giant bridge window. It was so sudden and so intense in its luminescence that it took the four completely by surprise.

"What the...?!" Exclaimed Slippy in confusion as he and the team promptly shielded their eyes from this blinding light. But then, the entire structure of the Great Fox began rattling and the blaring alarm rate reached that of a constant tonal noise.

"Aghhh, guys I can't see anything!" He wailed, clumsily falling out of his chair, but worse was just about to hit.

"Direct impact with the beam immanent." Announced ROB 64, "Beginning evasive maneuvers to point three-one-five-!"

Sure enough, a huge brunt of that energy struck dead-on, cutting the robot off mid-sentence and jolting the entire ship violently. The rest of the Star Fox team were cast from their chairs, tumbling across the metallic floor. Now even more alarms went off at the mainframe control board. Something very strange and frightening was happening.

"ROB! What the hell is going on?!" Fox yelled into the overwhelming barrier of illumination, struggling to stand up and blindly feel his way around.

Luckily, the team's robot could still fully function. Amid all this violent rattling of the ship and blinding light, ROB 64 went about analyzing the mainframe computers.

"The concentrated beam of eletro-magnetic energy is currently grazing along the Great Fox's starboard side."

"What?!" Falco also shouted out into the brightness, "But what about our shields!?"

No such answer came from ROB 64 however, because all that blinding light and rattling suddenly ceased the very next moment. Everything delved back to a total and very eerie stillness. Even the alarms had stopped blaring, but the big hanging screen still displayed that lifeless static above.

Fox cautiously uncovered his eyes, breathing a bit shakily as he looked all around the bridge. Much to his surprise, nothing appeared broken.

"ROB...?" He slowly asked at last, "... H-how's the ship?"

The others picked themselves up and also looked around nervously, while their robot answered after searching another display several times.

"No discernible damage detected on the exterior. Only minor damages are detected within the Arwing hangar."

" _N-no_ exterior damage...?!" Dumbfounded, the vulpine stared as he adjusted his helmet visor. "But... our shields weren't even up...!"

"You're right Fox, they weren't." Peppy had gone over and was now observing another computer's data. "This is really weird... the scanners said those waves were electro-magnetic radiation, but the fact that it was like a solid beam... and there's no damage to the ship..."

He fell quiet, being very confused too as his eyes darted around the screen through his small pair of circular spectacles. Fox, Falco, and Slippy closely eyed the old hare in an anxious silence of their own, awaiting any kind of a further explanation on what might have happened. Nothing came from him for some time, though.

"W-what did you mean by ' _minor damages in the Arwing bay_ ,' ROB?" Slippy then spoke out of his own concern, to which the robot clarified.

"Affirmative. The Arwing fighters and other objects throughout the hangar have been dislodged from stationary mounts due to the magnitude of vibration. Recommend to manually inspect the hangar immediately for any further, undetected damages."

The mechanic lowered his wide head into a dense face-palm and shook it, agitated as the other three exchanged concerned looks as well. Lifting his head back up and exhaling hoarsely, Slippy admitted, "Well, guess I'd better go down and check out the hangar then. One of us has to."

His tone was especially damp, because this really was a sudden and big inconvenience to the whole team. Their Arwing fighters, the pride and joy of their very services, had been cast around like loose glassware in a metal box. Yet, just before Slippy could leave the bridge, his attention was caught from Peppy finally starting to talk more.

"Look, boys, I... I just... don't know what to make of this data." His face contorted a bit, but he tried to explain his only cognizable conclusion. "All the ship's internal functions, communications, and radar are still online, but the only things we seem to have lost are the TV signals. The whole dang receiver's been fried up."

He glanced up at the screen to prove his point, which continued emanating that ghostly hiss of nothingness both visually and aurally.

"Other than that, though..." Peppy continued after exhaling, slowly but somewhat reassuringly, "Everything... seems to be alright."

A few more quiet and uneasy moments passed between the team as Falco offered the blank screen a mere glance, developing a strong shade of frustration in his blue eyes. He shook his head and breached the silence, spouting a single word.

 _"Fffffuck..."_

Though he understood, Fox's eyes still darted and came to rest on his fellow pilot's backside. Falco was leaning on the chair with his head hanging down, just gazing at his feet in those slip-on shoes. All he could do then was let out an agitated groan. There was no way to witness that final match of the first bracket between Mario and Kirby now, so it was leaving a sour feeling teeming inside them both.

That was the least of their worries though, because to much more of a consequence, their Arwings had been damaged from that strange anomaly of pure light and energy.

"Alright guys, I'm headin' down there. I'll keep y'all updated on what I find..." With that, Slippy turned and awkwardly scuttled his way out of the bridge to go begin his investigation, but this prompted Falco to roughly push his chair back.

"... And I'm gonna clean up." He quickly walked out as well, leaving Fox and Peppy standing there amid the low ambient hum of the ship's engines which drifted through the air. The vulpine lowered his head, realizing the only thing they could really do now was wait out the remaining time until their arrival at the stadium.

That smash of his great interest, however, was still going on regardless of who was watching, and who wasn't.

* * *

 _* Planet Neightyvee – Midair Stadium *_

Mario and Kirby's final fight was in full swing, and the myriad of ecstatic cheers spurred on the action as the pink puffball was knocked back by a strong slug from his portly plumber opponent. He slid back along the AstroTurf a good several meters, but just like the times before, he may have been down but he wasn't out. He rebounded onto his feet and dashed back towards Mario, who conjured a brilliant orange fireball in the palm of his hand and cast it, sending it bouncing down the platform.

Kirby gracefully hopped over it, the flame licking the soles of his feet with mere centimeters to spare. He flew straight at the plumber and readied another one of his mighty forward air-kicks. Rightfully so, Mario wasn't going to be fooled a second time. He threw his fists up to block, but then the Star Warrior swiftly shifted his kick downward and struck his unguarded abdomen again.

The force was surprisingly strong and launched Mario up into the air. He landed flat on his back, emitting a sharp grunt as many in the crowds squealed gleefully at Kirby's cuteness while standing there in perfect posture after finishing that flashy move.

Determined as he was, the mustached man immediately leaped back up to his feet. Now the two of them stood on each end of the platform, facing one another, waiting to see who would try the next approach first. Not that it really mattered though.

Adrenaline quickly struck their very cores simultaneously, and just like the opening move a mere minute ago, they both bolted towards each other again. Mario was the first to swing out with a clenched fist however, catching Kirby in a sharp upper cut that sent him skyward. He reeled his fist down and back, preparing an even stronger upward slug, but Kirby took advantage of the time gap. He enveloped Mario in a rapid downward spin-kick as he fell right on top of him, causing the both of them to pile up in a tangled heap of limbs.

They frantically scrambled to get back on their feet and stumbled away to wait on opposite sides yet another time. Everyone now, including Mario and Kirby themselves, could physically feel the immense pressure of this ongoing match. In their fighting stances they each stood there, wrapped in a cold sweat and the conflicting feeling of the midday sun and that cool high-altitude breeze whisking across their faces. This whole sensation burned every nerve within them.

It seemed to be very much a stalemate; unlike the two matches before where things were much more influential. Both Mario and Kirby were managing to keep their breathing steady and their reflexes at the ready, but the problem was neither of them could work a strategy around the other. Even for the rest of Sector N, there seemed to be a stark rift down the middle over whom the clamoring crowds desired should prevail in this bracket.

First came the mythical-sized chant of Mario's name from one entire side of the arena, and then came Kirby's in a counter-hymn from the other side. With all their fervent support for either smasher, the stadium truly was in dissonance.

Mario stood firmly in those semi-worn brown shoes of his and took a deep breath, then exhaled calmly and wiped his forehead free of some sweat. His mind was racing a thousand kilometers per second. All these sounds swirling in the air around him became obsolete. He had to bring this match back in his favor somehow, but how? His very reputation of being a true veteran smasher in this generation was on the line if he couldn't make it past this first round.

Kirby meanwhile lowered his eyelids a bit from the sunlight's intensity, for he too was just as determined as Mario was to advance to the next round. The stakes were likewise as high for him.

At last, another neurotic kick sparked deep in the two's minds for an attacking lunge. The cheers swelled to an absolute peak again as Mario and Kirby sprang toward one another for what was quite possibly the final charge.

But then, above all the noise here in the stadium already, an even deeper and absolutely ear-shattering sound suddenly struck through everything.

A gigantic bolt of pure energy and blinding white light split straight through the open-roofed arena, blasting the middle of the smash platform with a thunderous crack and releasing a force that knocked the two smashers quite far backwards in opposite directions. The entire stadium gasped and cried out with panicked surprise as both Mario and Kirby landed hard on their backs, struggling to shield their eyes from this utterly blinding light.

At the end of the exit hall, Luigi clumsily stumbled and fell back a good whole meter or two from the energy's blast force and couldn't look up. Lucina, Ike, Captain Falcon, Little Mac, Red, Pikachu, and Yoshi all had to turn away; protecting their eyes as well.

Everyone must have thought it was a lightning strike of some sort, but it wasn't. It couldn't have been, because the bolt mysteriously lingered there in the same place from whence it struck, as if it were snapped in a foreboding freeze-frame. In the wide-open blue skies higher above Midair stadium, this giant beam expanded farther upward and was actually a mere arc coming from an even more massive, sparking web of similar beams.

They all blasted downward from a gargantuan horizontal pillar of light and energy, which stretched way out across the massive sky with naught but scattered white specks of clouds far below.

There was no way it could have been a storm either. No clouds were to be seen anywhere. The whole sky for that matter was clear up here, and it had come from somewhere much further above; from space.

* * *

All across the rest of Sector N on many different worlds, those countless families, friends, and fans alike who were tuned into the tournament were similarly shocked to see their TV screens suddenly blank out to the grey hiss of static. Their voices rang out in what seemed like a great unison of dismay; some in bewildered rage, and others in a peculiar kind of fright. A number of the broadcast feeds forcibly cut back to the uncertain news anchors, who could only claim there were technical difficulties going on.

This sudden blackout was eerily similar to what had happened to the Star Fox team just a few minutes ago.

* * *

 _* Skyworld – The Temple of Communication *_

Within that dark hall, the mysterious altar of observation had also lost its mirage of Midair Stadium through the resettled surface of water. It was only normal and clear now, without any color nor sound. That heavenly ambiance which once prevailed had all but faded to the mere, soft whistles of the wind echoing in from the outside.

Yet, there still wasn't a single soul around to even notice how the altar had strangely become void.

* * *

 **Music/Song:** **_"S.T.A.Y."_**

 _* Midair Stadium *_

The intense blast had promptly dissipated into thin air. Nothing remained other than a distant crack and rumble of thunder emanating somewhere in the clear skies higher above.

Everything appeared to resettle, but not a single sound was heard other than the ghostly breeze blowing through all those colorful banners and flags. The entire arena had been dead quiet before, but not like this. This was a very different kind of quiet. It was fearful, unlike before.

Nobody in the higher seating sections could even see the aftermath down there. Those giant hanging display boards had been knocked out, and didn't show a single illuminated pixel.

Smoke and large flakes of black ash now slowly rose from the center of the smash platform.

Lying flat on their backs, Mario and Kirby could at last open their eyes, ever so slowly to see the sky still far above them. From their upward view, it almost seemed like nothing had happened, but something definitely had. Their ears rang deep inside from the thunderous force of that blast, with the sound all a muffled blur.

He was still somewhat discombobulated, but Mario finally lifted his head up and looked down the platform, past his shoes to see that a smoking crater had been blown into the AstroTurf surface. With a little grunt he grasped his aching left shoulder, got back on his feet, and slowly began to approach. As he neared it though, he saw through the dense smoke that Kirby already stood on the other side, and was staring down at something.

Although confused at first, he soon realized through the thinning smoke what the pink puffball was in fact looking at. His blue eyes squinted, then widened greatly at the sight here before him in the middle of the smash platform.

A body of a person shown. It was a boy with blonde hair who lay there face down in the crater, motionless. He couldn't have been older than his early twenties, but appeared to be wearing athletic pants and a dark wool sweater which had been slightly charred and torn like the rest of his figure.

Mario and Kirby were utterly speechless. All they could do was look at one another in the same shocked manner, without any idea of what to do. At the same time though, a subtle flow of voices seemed to be arising as the crowds finally began to murmur amongst themselves in a low but very unsettled tone.

No one knew, or could know for that matter, what had just happened or even what was going on right now due to the shroud of smoke.

Nothing even came from the announcer way up in the main press box. All the PA systems and electronics had been knocked out, almost as if it were an EMP blast. Nobody's phone seemed to work anymore, and the numerous news crews were all baffled to find their camera equipment fried.

Moments of this haunting stillness kept passing, enveloping the whole stadium. Kirby watched, glued in his attention as Mario stepped down into the crater and carefully rested a hand upon the boy's shoulder closest to him, seeing if he could get any sign of life. There came nothing.

"... Hey, are you two alright!?" An anxious voice then sounded from behind Mario and Kirby. It was the Toad referee who emerged through the veil of smoke, covering his mouth.

"Are either of you hurt? What about your-!" He froze mid-sentence, forgetting everything upon seeing the body there in front of them. "... trophies..."

Mario turned back, meeting the confounded gaze of the referee and nervously replying, "... I think we need-a-one or two paramedics out here..."

Wide-eyed, the referee put one of his hands on his forehead, attempting to form understandable words. "W-where did...! H-how... how did this human get here...?!"

They had not the slightest idea; it was as simple as that. Mario just shook his head with his mouth partially agape. All he could do was dart his eyes up and down the backside of this human boy, trying to make a shred of sense from it.

"But... i-is he alive...?" The bewildered referee sought any kind of explanation, but Mario answered very unsurely.

"I don't-a-know..."

With that, Kirby and the referee watched as the mustached man gently grasped the boy's upper torso and carefully turned him over so now he lay on his back, facing upward for his front side to be given a share of the day's light and warmth. There was definitely something strange about him, and the three just stared with pure unknowing.

The boy's eyes were closed, his blonde hair was all ruffled and messed up, and his body made not a single movement. It seemed as though he might very well be dead, but Mario was determined to find out for sure. Something peculiar then caught his eye, however.

On the front of this boy's sweater was a large circular symbol, what looked very much like the smash insignia. Mario couldn't help but feel a bit of a chill run all the way down his back.

 _Wait... why is he-a-wearing THAT symbol...?_ The thought churned darkly through his mind, contorting his face somewhat, but he quickly snapped back to the vital matter at hand. He conducted some quick touches on various points around the human's body and straightened his limbs out, then he took off his cap and laid his head down against the boy's chest, listening closely for a heartbeat.

He seemed like a true doctor at work here, and the Toad referee couldn't help but notice.

"You've had... medical training, Mario?" He inquired, watching the plumber's every action on this strange new human. Mario nodded only once as he continued listening for any viable signs of life.

"Mm, I've-a-had-a-physician's training for a number of years, actually..."

At last, he seemed to have found a sign. A very soft thumping sound reached his ear amid the other ambiance in the vastness of the stadium, and his eyes widened with optimism.

"There...! There is a heartbeat...!" Declared Mario, taking his right glove off and resting a pair of fingers on the bottom-left part of the boy's neck. Just to be sure, he checked for a confirming pulse while Kirby watched all of this with uncertainty.

"Poyo...?" He wondered as the mustached man soon found his result. Like the soft thump he'd just heard, the tips of his fingers also felt a small rise and fall of the skin. This young human boy was in fact alive.

In putting his glove and cap back on, Mario gave the Toad referee a reassuring glance and a single nod to accompany it.

"R-right then... I-I'll call for the paramedics...!" He stuttered and tried to click on his PA device several times, but nothing worked. He looked at it worriedly and frustrated.

"Dammit, I-I can't contact anyone...!"

He scampered over to the edge of the platform, where the walkway ramp would normally extend across the chasm to join from the training facility. He cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled across, "Hey! Someone extend the ramp over!"

* * *

Still across on the other side were Captain Falcon, Little Mac, Ike, Lucina, Red, Pikachu, Yoshi, and of course Luigi who'd picked himself back up and readjusted his cap straight. They couldn't see what was happening across on the platform, other than the Toad referee standing there in front of all the smoke which still blotted out the center. Then, they heard running footsteps from behind; someone else quickly came up and stopped beside them. It was the Shy Guy event coordinator.

Quite concerned, the F-zero racer hollered in return, "Yo, ref! What the heck happened over there!?"

"Look, just do it!" The referee anxiously insisted, "Extend the ramp! We need the paramedic team out here, now!"

"... Right, I'll go get them!" The coordinator swung about face, waddling as fast as he could on his short legs back down the hall, opening the glass doors into the main training facility whilst calling back, "Hurry, one of you extend the ramp!"

 _"What...? The paramedic team...?!"_ Captain Falcon repeated those words, exchanging brief but dreaded looks with the others. He obeyed what he heard though and glanced to his left, seeing a control panel on the wall with a number of buttons, levers, and labels.

"... It's that big green lever on the panel's right side!" Hollered the referee in a follow-up command, "Hold it down all the way!"

The F-zero racer soon found that green lever he indicated and pulled it down, which spurred the heavy mechanical whirring of the hydraulic motors coming to life. The ramp itself began extending outward to join with the platform, and to this the Toad referee breathed a sigh of relief. At least, it seemed not all the electrical equipment had been surged out.

Many more of the smashers had come over now from being back in the training facility, and were trying to see what in fact was going on out there on the platform. They all began clustering densely behind the few already standing there at the edge of the walkway ramp. Several of them, namely Link, Marth, Roy, Jiggly Puff, Squirtle, Greninja, Charizard, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong managed to worm their way through the gathering crowd and come up to those at the very front.

Link and the two Kongs came to a silent standstill beside Captain Falcon, Luigi, and Little Mac. The Altean Prince and his red-haired accomplice joined with their fellow Heroes of the Emblem. The troupe of Pokémon, on the other hand, huddled closely beside Pikachu and their beloved trainer, Red.

Whispers of uncertainty accompanied their gazes which were glued fast on what might have happened out there, but much more serious voices suddenly sounded from behind them.

"Excuse us! Please clear a path everyone, paramedic team coming through!" Maneuvering through this whole crowd of smashers now was a group of stadium paramedics, comprising several Shy Guys, Koopas, and Toads clad in red and white medical coats.

They scurried their way across to the platform where the Toad referee hastily guided them over to the smokey center, and the smashers all noticed through the dissipating flakes of ash that both Mario and Kirby emerged up, seeming to be completely free of any injuries. They began worrying even more, clamoring hoarsely amongst themselves over who or what the paramedics were actually being called out for.

"M-my bro's _not_ hurt...?" Luigi observed warily, while Red also pointed out, "Hmm, yeah he's not... but neither is Kirby...?"

A suspicious Captain Falcon then thought to add, "So... _why_ the heck are they goin' out there then?"

None of them could have realized the true extent of what had actually just happened, nor what all was about to come. Something very similar was about to unfold elsewhere; up on a certain Cornerian battle frigate which was just reaching the outer atmosphere of Planet Neightyvee.

The day was about to take a drastic turn.


	10. Strangers

**CHAPTER 09 - STRANGERS**

 _* On board the Great Fox *_

"Now entering the exosphere of Planet Neightyvee." ROB 64 affirmed over to Fox and Peppy, who were both silently slumped in their chairs. "Commencing procedure for the ship's atmospheric descent. ETA to final destination, Midair Stadium: twenty minutes."

"Alright, and we already have clearance from the Orbital Authorities." Peppy added on with a weary sigh, "I guess we're on the home stretch now."

Outside the huge bridge window, the planet now filled the entire view like a stunning panorama. They were approaching from the shadow side still facing away from the Nassazar, so the great line crossed the planet's rim in a beautiful arc; starkly contrasting its barrier of day and night. Small web-like clumps of orange and yellow city lights could even be seen down there on the darkened side. It was a gorgeous vista to be sure, but within it all, a cold and unsettled feeling lingered.

Finally, Fox blinked quite a long time before breaking the silence. "Uh, Pep? Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?" The hare glanced over to him.

"When you talked to the Orbital Authorities... Did you mention anything about the energy anomaly?"

Peppy was silent at first, but shook his head slowly. "... No, I didn't."

Fox sighed through his nose, concerned. "Well, maybe you should have at least said _something_... you know?"

"Believe me," The hare added, "The thought really was bangin' in my mind... but I just figured I'd keep quiet."

"Do _they_ even know anything about it, I wonder?" Fox couldn't help but also speculate.

"Hmph, hard to say." Peppy shifted his back so he'd be more comfortable. "That's the thing though. They didn't mention a word, so..."

"But, it's just... I can't stop thinking about it." The vulpine lightly set his forehead upon two of his fingers, with just the white tip of his bushy tail slowly swaying from side to side as he sat there in his chair. "It was all so... sudden and unnatural."

"Well, what I can say is we've had more than a few run-ins with electro-magnetic blasts before." The hare sought to clarify, but ended up thinking harder on it. "... But none ever like this; not like a huge beam of pure concentrated energy."

"Mm..." Fox was also deep in thought. "... Almost like it was a gamma ray burst or something."

"We'd be nothin' but ashes and dust if that'd been a gamma ray." Turning back to a mainframe computer, Peppy observed the information onscreen and hypothesized, "Do ya think... by chance, it could've just been a concentrated solar flare, hence the radiation readings?"

"A solar flare...?" Fox seemed a little pragmatic in his disbelief. "So how'd you explain the _'no exterior damage'_ part, then? Let alone, there's been no large flares coming from the Nassazar. We would've gotten warnings from the Orbital Authorities way ahead of time if there were."

"... You're right." The hare shook his head lightly, taking off his small circular glasses and rubbing his eyes. "Those other times, our shields _were_ up... and it seemed the Great Fox _still_ got scathed every dang time we ran into one of 'em. I know Pepper always got bitter whenever it happened."

The vulpine leaned forward with his chin resting upon his knuckles, trying hard to think about it all.

"Yeah, I know." He finally replied," It makes no sense... and that's what's worrying me most..."

As if realizing there was something he had to do, Fox promptly clicked a small button on the side of his helmet's communicator and flipped down the little microphone next to his maw.

"Slippy? You read me?" He started into the mouthpiece, waiting a moment until the mechanic's voice answered.

 _"Roger, Fox. I read ya loud and clear."_

"You down in the hangar bay yet?"

A slightly agitated groan came back from him. _"Nope, still on level Two-D... the long trudge down the whole hull past all these storage rooms. I'm down for a little chit-chat though if you are, 'cause there's time."_

"Ah yes, _that_ trudge." The vulpine smiled after a beat. "Well, at least you have something you're _doing_ to help pass the time."

 _"Heh, yeah..."_ The mechanic took a breath and then said, _"But really though, I feel kinda bad about that match you can't see."_

Acknowledging these friendly words, Fox raised his green eyes and solemnly stared out the front bridge window; where the large blue-tinted planet filled the entire view even more. He sighed softly, gazing out at this beautiful canvas of their destination.

"Yep, it's sure a bummer. Don't feel bad about it though, 'cause it's nothing you did." With a quick chuckle he jokingly added, "Hmph. I just seriously hope we weren't the only ones to lose signals, you know what I mean?"

Of course, Slippy knew what he meant. _"_ _You and me both, Fox._ _Some luck that would be, huh?"_

"Ha, wouldn't it? That _would_ be our luck, I'd bet..." Agreed the vulpine as another set of quiet moments went between him and his amphibian friend.

Slippy soon asked a final question, though his breathing sounded more like he was in the middle of doing a workout of some kind. _"Say, you know what this ship really needs that most other CDN frigates have?"_

Fox scoffed. "What?"

 _"... Hover scooters."_

* * *

The Great Fox's hangar bay was quite literally trashed in every sense of the word.

Dozens upon dozens of cargo crates had once been stacked neatly and were now strewn all about, and some were even broken apart with their contents spilling out. That was among other debris scattered across the metallic floors, but just as it had been detected, the four Arwing fighters were completely dislodged from their stationary mounts and were scrunched up against the walls, with one of them being capsized completely.

All of this had been much worse than what the computer's analysis labelled as only _minor damages._

Perhaps the force was able to blast in so easily because the actual opening of the hangar bay was only protected from the vacuum of space by a very thin layer of energy shields. It bore the brunt as that energy grazed along the ship's entire side, with even a part of the actual beam blasting here inside the hangar and thus causing all this damage.

But then, a sound of boots on the metallic floor broke through that deep ambient hum of the ship. It was those of Slippy's as he finally came into the hangar bay, but as the true sight of this destruction greeted his eyes, the mechanic's whole face dropped.

"D'oh, for the love of... Ughhh!" He didn't know what to say or do, other than smack his forehead with the palm of his hand and groan. Carefully, he started to go through the hangar and take a weary look around. The air in here was quite chilled, making Slippy's breath come out as little puffs each time he exhaled.

While observing all the damage, he got out the little communicator from his back pocket and clicked the talk button, wearily saying into it, "Fox, come in?"

A couple of cold seconds passed before the vulpine's voice came back. _"What's up, Slip? Everything alright?"_

"Well... no, actually." He sourly explained with a damp sigh, "I'm in the hangar bay now and, I'm not gonna lie... it's a total wreck down here. The cargo's all broken up, equipment's lying all over the place. Lotsa fixtures have come loose, too."

 _"Damn..."_ Fox's tone was definitely more bitter. He was almost unwilling to ask, _"Um, and what about the Arwings...?"_

Slippy took one look at the fighters in their current state and simply shook his head, biting down on his lower lip before declaring, "They'll definitely need my attention, that's for sure."

 _"Alright, so... why is the only affected place the hangar bay?"_ Fox asked, frustrated. _"Can ya answer me that, Slip?"_

"Heck if I know...!" The mechanic kept going, observing the damage around the hangar. "Might just be the fact this is the most vulnerable area on the ship, 'cause its practically opened to space."

 _"But, none of our main shields were even partially up. The whole ship should've been fried like a spit, that's what I'm saying...!"_ The vulpine attempted to explain, but Slippy was just as confused as he was.

"I know... I hear ya, and it really beats me too." He agreed wholeheartedly, "But what _especially_ beats me is how the ship's damage report called this _minor damages._ You might wanna tell ROB to double-check all those response systems, 'cause it's sure as heck a freakin'-!"

He stopped dead in his tracks, freezing mid-sentence due to noticing something very odd amidst the hangar's whole scenario.

 _"... What, Slip? What is it...?"_

Fox's voice inquired a bit suspiciously after this sudden onset of silence. Slippy meanwhile had begun slowly walking over to what had prompted him to cut off his words, until he came to a stop over the motionless body of a human laying on the floor. Now, his eyes widened with a very confused realization.

 _"... Slippy? You there?"_

This human definitely looked young and couldn't have been older than one's early twenties, but it lay here facing upright in a contorted position as though the body had been roughly thrown around. Slippy couldn't even tell if it was a boy or a girl, though it had a slender and somewhat effeminate body.

Covering most of the face was longish dirty-blonde hair which had once been neatly styled off to one side, but now it was all ruffled and in a complete mess. The eyes were closed with its lips completely still. Not a single sign of life shown.

 _"... Slippy? Come in!"_

Yet, unlike the boy just discovered in Midair Stadium, this human wore very different clothing; a slim-fitting yellow and blue shirt with dark capris pants. On each foot were a pair of thick wool socks, something one would definitely wear during winter, but strangely enough they appeared quite wet to the touch from something that must have happened.

 _"Slippy!?"_

The mechanic finally held his communicator back up and spoke rather shakily as he stared down at the human. "Uh, F-Fox...? R-roger that to your question about there being a problem down here... 'cause there _really_ is."

 _"What do you mean?"_ Demanded the vulpine, but Slippy could do nothing except breathe deeply in, then slowly out.

"... I-I think you and Peppy better get down here right now... 'cause I'm standing over a human's body on the floor."

Only a ghostly silence of frail white-noise was returned over the communicator to those words.

* * *

 **Music/Song:** **_"Running Out"_**

 _* Midair Stadium *_

The crowds murmured much more worriedly in seeing the team of paramedics far down there on the smash platform. Not only that, but the smoke and ash had cleared up enough, so the body of that human boy was now visible for everyone else to begin noticing. Yet, that huge and ominous question of how he suddenly got there hung darkly over everything.

Mario, Kirby, and the nervous Toad referee watched closely as the paramedics were gathered around and inspecting the strange boy. One of them opened up the case he'd brought which held emergency equipment, including a portable breathing device, an pressurized oxygen canister, a portable defibrillator, bandage wraps, and some other items.

"Alright. This boy _is_ alive, like you said." The head paramedic then confirmed to Mario, who nodded briefly.

"Mhmm, his pulse-a-was very slow. I think-a-he needs a strong dose of-a-oxygen."

"... Seems you're right on that one, Mario." Another one of the paramedics agreed. He'd attached some sensory tabs on parts of the boy's bare-skinned areas with one hand, while holding a portable monitoring device in the other. The small screen displayed vital life-sign feedback, but right now all those readings were quite far down.

"He's unconscious due to very low blood pressure. Barely any oxygen is getting to his vitals, so I'd agree. A blast of O-two will go a long way for him. Here, get the canister and mask." With that, he and another paramedic got the portable breathing device and carefully began placing the mouth piece around the boy's limp head.

Meanwhile, as if it were a sense of intuition, Mario worriedly glanced up over his shoulder, meeting the tiny but shocked eyes of Peach and the other Princesses staring down from their seats on the royal balcony. Both she and Zelda held a hand near their mouth, often turning to one another and asking what looked like worried questions. Daisy on the other hand was frequently looking back to others in the royal audience, doing the same and trying to get answers. Like most people in the massive crowds, they didn't know what'd happened down there on the platform, but could now see the boy's motionless body there in the crater.

Then his eyes lowered, resting on all his fellow smashers standing there just across the walkway ramp. He noticed how they were really trying to see what was going on, but again, just couldn't from where they stood.

* * *

It was Lucina though who'd suspiciously observed how Mario and Kirby were in fact standing behind the paramedic team. She took a brief beat off of Mario's concerned gaze back to her and the others, but quickly let out a breath.

"What _are_ they doing over there?" She couldn't keep quiet due to all of her own uncertainty. "The physicians definitely gathered around something..."

"... Or _someone_." Ike added in the same tone, but little did he know. These brooding thoughts were probably on every smasher's mind as they all stood here, crowded together and just waiting for something to be announced. They heard how the crowds were becoming much more anxious since they could obviously see something that they couldn't. It even seemed like this great Bicentennial Smash Tournament had suddenly been forgotten entirely, in wake of that mysterious lightning blast.

"Well, that's it." Finally, after what felt like an agonizing few minutes, Captain Falcon uncrossed his arms and took a broad step out onto the walkway ramp whilst breaking the silence, "I'm goin' over there to see what the heck happened. They never said we couldn't. Anyone wanna come with?"

Hesitation fell among all the other smashers at first, but it was Link who then silently stepped forward to join the F-zero racer. He turned back, gazing upon the others with his piercing sky-blue eyes to see if anyone else would join.

"I'll come with you two." Now Ike confidently took a step forward.

"... Make that _you three._ " Red started walking too after a quick swivel of his cap, along with Pikachu still sitting on his shoulder and agreeing, "Pika."

Those few ended up spurring Luigi to go forward and join with them, which subsequently made Little Mac consider as well. He ran his hand back through his spiky black hair without saying a word, and like a chain effect, he ended up stepping forward too.

Finally, it was Lucina who let out another quick sigh as she gave somewhat determined looks to Marth and Roy just beside her. The three Heroes of the Emblem quickly chose to hurry forward as well, joining with Ike and the rest of that little group.

As they headed out across the walkway ramp, the others now in the front traded uneasy looks and talked amongst each other over the situation. Yoshi and Red's troupe of Pokémon seemed to want to go over there with them, but in the end they figured it was probably better to stay right where they were.

* * *

"Okay, we got a slow but steady breathing going again." The head paramedic declared with a hint of relief, pulling up the stethoscope's head which had been pressed under the boy's charred sweater while he listened closely. "Now, all we can really do is wait for his consciousness to come back."

"How long-a-will it-a-take? A few minutes, or...?" Mario asked concernedly, as this Toad paramedic wiped a hand over his forehead.

"More or less... well, at least it _should."_ He turned to the Shy Guy paramedic who was holding that portable monitoring device and said, "Right, keep a close eye on that respiratory pulse."

Tense moments kept mounting, until Mario turned back to look again but was rather surprised to see the small group of his companions along with his brother approaching instead. Kirby had also noticed them by now, uttering a bit of an anxious, "Poyo...!"

"Mario, you guys alright? What's goin' on over here?" Captain Falcon spoke up as Luigi, Link, Marth, Roy, Ike, Lucina, Little Mac, Red, and Pikachu seemed to share that very same thought. The red-shirted man, however, retained a darkly dubious expression on his mustached face.

"Eh..." He made a small gesture. "Come and-a-look for yourselves..."

Once they were finally able to see the unconscious boy's body from over the shoulders of the paramedics, it seemed they couldn't speak another word due to their profound shock. Perhaps not surprisingly though, the only one of them who was rather unfazed in his reaction was Link.

"Hey, everyone, just... stay back a bit, please." The head paramedic glanced up, firmly commanding the group of smashers. They obeyed and silently took a few steps back to stand with Mario and Kirby.

"M-Mario...?" Luigi anxiously turned to his older brother and stammered, "W-who is that...?"

He just shook his head. "I... I don't-a-know, Luigi."

Nobody even knew what to feel or think at first. Though Mario had already noticed it, the others were now able to see that familiar symbol on the front of the boy's sweater, leaving them confounded all the same.

"His garb..." Marth was the one to finally say something. "Look at that emblem on his garb...! Why does he wear the tournament's emblem...?"

Silence seemed to be the only answer.

"... But, where did this guy even come from...?!" Red then spoke up from his own confusion, with his partner fully seconding that.

"Pikachu...?"

Red's eyes wandered a little and rested on Little Mac who was standing a few people down from him. He looked at Mac, then down at the unconscious boy, and then up to Mac again. He seemed to notice something physically similar between the two.

"Wait a sec... this just hit me, but do you guys see who this kinda looks like?"

After being returned some blank stares by the others, he clarified, "He... he kinda looks like Mac."

"Huh...? You think he looks like _me_...?" The boxer squinted unsurely, trying to see any resemblance. The trainer quickly nodded though, rather certain in his observation.

"Yeah, a-a little bit...? I mean, he's kinda got a similar athletic figure to you... not to mention a similar face shape, m-minus the blonde hair of course. See what I mean?"

Interestingly enough, this boy did share a bit of a physical similarity to the boxer like Red had pointed out, though he wasn't nearly as muscular. While their little side-talk went on however, the paramedics kept a close watch on their monitoring device. So far, it'd been showing a slow and steady rate of pulses coming from the sensory tabs placed on the boy's upper arms and neck, but then they began to speed up without any explanation.

"Hey, hey look... the rates are increasing...!" One of them pointed out as they continued rising faster and faster. The other paramedics became transfixed as well, because they truthfully didn't know what to expect from this whole situation.

"How's the blood pressure?" Another inquired, to whom the former answered concernedly upon reading the device.

"It's... It's climbing rapidly too...! Past normal... rising to higher levels...!"

Suddenly, the boy's eyes snapped wide-open, revealing they were a bright blue color. His once-huge and dilated pupils instantly shrunk to a pin-sized dot from the intensity of the sunlight, and his mouth opened to emit an utterly terrified cry.

 _"AAAGGGHHH!"_

The paramedics all about leaped back with surprise; so did Mario and the others standing just a few steps behind them. The boy writhed about as though he were struggling to feel what was around himself, before he finally got a grip on the mask around his nose and mouth. He frantically tore it off, allowing a huge gulp of fresh cool air to fill his lungs as he rolled over onto his hands and knees.

He was totally discombobulated though, so he stumbled on the crater's slope and immediately collapsed on his front side once he stepped out. He breathed very heavily, but the entirety of his body was also beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

At the same time it seemed the stadium had erupted with loud, anxious clamor from the hundreds of thousands of people seeing this human boy awaken like that. All the other smashers crowded at the exit hall's opening could finally see what the focus of attention was, and many of them were also left gasping or just bewildered.

The group out here on the platform could only exchange shocked glances with each other as the boy started emitting small whimpers of pure fear between his heavy breaths. He kept laying there on the ground, shivering through every nerve in his body.

But finally, it was Mario who took a confident breath of his own and approached this strange boy just in front of them.

"H-hello...?" He carefully asked, "Can-a-you hear me...?"

The boy tucked his arms and legs up tightly, staring at nothing with his wide-opened eyes even though he faced in the direction of Mario and the others. What they didn't realize however, was that this boy didn't even see them. His vision was nothing but scattered, blurry smudges of faint objects amidst a pale void. Filling his ears to the brim was a loud, low-toned ringing that no one else could hear but him.

Nevertheless, Mario kneeled down directly in front of him and tried to ask again, "... Can-a-you hear me?"

Several more moments passed of receiving no response from the boy, other than his shivered breathing and trembling body.

The plumber noticed how his eyes were wide-opened, but they didn't seem receptive in any way. He slowly waved a hand right in front of the boy's face, but his little suspicion was confirmed when no reaction came. Glancing up to his companions at his flanks, he shook his head.

"He can't-a-see anything, it seems..."

Lucina gave him a worried look. "Gods... He's blind...?"

Mario exhaled unsurely, "Well, he's not-a-reacting to anything... not even us-a-standing right here."

The truth was though, he just didn't know for sure. None of them could, for that matter.

It was Link who approached next, kneeling down beside Mario and the incapacitated boy due to suspecting something himself. He let one of his hands hover out over the boy's ear facing upward for a moment or two, before snapping his fingers several times to see if he could hear anything.

The boy didn't react in the slightest, so Link looked back at the others; shaking his head and motioning around his own ear to describe how he couldn't hear any sound either.

"You mean, he can't see _or_ hear anything...?!" Roy then spoke up from the group, confounded. "But... is it permanent?"

There was yet another uncomfortable silence among everyone, but the head paramedic seemed to have a different take on it.

"No, I don't think it's permanent. This just looks like a reaction as his body reawakens. What are the readings on his vitals now?"

The other paramedic, who had been checking the monitoring device this whole time, replied, "Cardio and respiratory readings are _really_ high. His blood pressure though seems to be gradually lowering back down, but it's still quite high."

"When'll we be able to take off the sensory tabs?" One of the Koopa paramedics suggested from behind.

"Not for a while, that's for sure." The head paramedic shook his head, explaining, "A sudden shift in any of these readings could have substantial consequences on his present condition either way. That's why we need to have live feedback we can monitor. This boy obviously can't see or hear anything right now, and we don't know for sure about his other vital systems other than these three necessities."

Lastly, he sighed deeply and concluded to the others, "Right now... I hate to say it, but this boy really is beyond our capabilities for treatment. We can't even call in Life-Flight since all our radios are dead, so we have to stay right here with him. But let's try to look at it this way... first he had low blood pressure, no consciousness, and now he has a sudden awakening like this with blindness and deafness. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he'll have _memory loss_ when he comes back to his senses."

Captain Falcon briefly took his helmet off and rubbed his forehead which seemed to be aching.

"Agh, what's any of _that_ even supposed to mean, doc?" He demanded in a bit of a protest, stressed over all this medical jargon he'd been listening to. Mario understood though, and tried to fill him in with very simple terms.

"What-a-he means is... there's nothing any of us-a-can do right now."

* * *

 **Music/Song:** **_"No Need to Come Back"_**

 _* On board the Great Fox *_

By now, Slippy had carefully adjusted the body of this other human so it lay straight on the hangar's metallic floor. The skin may have been stone-cold to the touch, but at least its figure wasn't so contorted like it had been. All the mechanic could do then was silently stare the unconscious human up and down, observing its strange yet very casual clothing.

 _Really... what the heck are you...?_ He warily moved aside the rest of the thick hair which covered part of the face. The human definitely looked young once it'd been cleared, but Slippy couldn't help but wonder another thing.

 _Are you a... girl...? I mean, you kinda... look like one..._

He really felt that he had to know, so his cheeks blushed somewhat as he slowly reached his hand up along this human's slender body, up to its chest. Rather to his surprise, he felt it was completely flat.

 _Oh... y-you're a guy...!? Huh, alright then..._

What truly confounded Slippy though was how this human could have possibly ended up here in the first place. There had been no one else aboard the Great Fox other than the Star Fox team, and even so they'd departed from Corneria a full day prior, making no stops since.

None of this was making a shred of sense for him. Clouding his mind were brooding thoughts on that massive energy beam which had blasted out of nowhere, yet caused no real damage on the Great Fox even with her shields down. Only here in the hangar bay was there damage, and this strange human boy to top everything off.

The fact of the matter was however, Slippy's good-willed heart wanted to do anything to try and help in a situation. Even here and now, it was no different.

Quickly glancing around, he spotted an emergency first aid kit lying on the floor amid all the other debris. He hurried over to retrieved it, and rushed back to where the boy lay and knelt beside him. Opening up the kit, he saw there were three separate compartments with different medical supplies. In unison with a nervous sigh, the mechanic wiped his forehead free of sweat and proceeded to read aloud the set of holographic-like instructions imprinted on the inside of the case.

"Okay, okay... let's see... _If the victim is still conscious, refer to pack one."_ He took a single look at the human's current state and shook his head. "Nope... _not_ that one..."

He read the next section, _"Uh... If the victim still shows visible signs of life, refer to pack two..._ but, I have no freakin' idea...!" Again, he couldn't tell whether or not this boy was alive in any way, so he read onto the third set of instructions.

 _"... If the victim appears to be completely incapacitated, refer to pack three..."_ Slippy quickly figured this was the one he needed, so he clicked opened the third compartment and saw a number of advanced little Cornerian medical gadgets inside. His eyes darted from side to side as he silently read some further instructions, before carefully pulling out a large syringe which held a bluish, translucent liquid called Hypo-Blue; something that was standard in every first aid kit that came from the Lylat System.

This substance contained a special extract of adrenaline and other enzymes in order to help restore a victim's consciousness, but not overload all their senses at once like most similar substances would do.

Slippy popped off the needle's protective cover by yanking on it with the corner of his mouth, but hesitated and thought hard.

Should he really be trying this? He knew he was just a mechanic after all, and had no sort of medical experience whatsoever other than some very basic first aid. Yet, like always, his mind was telling him to try and help in any way possible, so he decided to follow his rather overpowering conscience.

"Alright now..." He assured himself, "Nice and easy..."

Thus, with great caution, Slippy lifted up the boy's right arm and rolled up the short-sleeve all the way. He positioned the syringe just above the skin and was about to push down, but the entire ship suddenly started jolting a bit and threw his steadiness with the needle way off. Looking out the opening of the hangar bay, he saw huge orange streaks of fiery heat reaching up and across the transparent energy shields.

 _Mm, mm, mm... that was a little too close...! We must be passing through the atmosphere..._ He told himself, trying to keep at least somewhat of a lighthearted side in his thoughts.

Readying the syringe again, he held his breath tight and finally pierced the needle down into the boy's bare shoulder. After pressing out only half or so of the liquid, he gently withdrew the metal from the cold skin and set the syringe down while letting out a deep sigh.

That large puff of cold breath soon vanished, and he realized all he could do now was wait.

His mind raced with countless thoughts all at once, ranging from anxiety and even fear to a confidence that insisted everything would maybe turn out fine. In trying to ease himself, he clicked on his little communicator again to talk to his vulpine companion.

"... Fox?" He uttered.

 _"Yeah, Slip? Talk to me."_ Answered Fox's voice between a crackly breath of static.

Slippy was visibly uncomfortable but asked nonetheless, "Y-you and Peppy almost down here?"

 _"Roger that. We're coming as fast as we can, but... I just don't believe any of this."_

"Me neither. I'm just down here, waiting..." The mechanic nodded, a bit relieved before also wondering, "Hey, is Falco with you guys?"

 _"Nope, as a matter of fact he's showering up for our arrival in less than twenty minutes. We're almost through the atmosphere as we speak."_

"Hmph, yeah I noticed..." Slippy scoffed lightly, "Some timing, right?"

There was a slight pause before Fox returned with another inquiry. _"What's the situation with that human, anyhow?"_

"Still unconscious..." Slippy looked down rather nervously at the opened first aid kit laying next to the boy. He knew he had to tell Fox what he did.

"Well... about that, actually..."

 _"Mm? What about it?"_ Asked the vulpine, to which his amphibian friend promptly cleared his throat.

"... I-I found a first aid kit down here," he explained, "So I went ahead and gave a single dose of the Hypo-Blue for incapacitated victims."

Another lengthy silence arose, but Fox then came back quite concernedly. _"... I... wouldn't have done that if I were you. You don't really know what the human's condition was."_

Trying to justify his assisting action, Slippy refuted, "But, why not...? He's obviously unconscious, and-"

 _"Wait, wait..."_ Fox interrupted, _"HE's unconscious...? So you're saying it's a guy?"_

"Look, forget about that right now." The mechanic was trying his best to keep calm. "I read the instructions, and it clearly said for an incapacitated victim like this, to inject half the Hypo-Blue through the upper arm."

 _"Slip, a human's reaction to that stuff might be totally different than ours... in a bad way for all you know. There's a reason Cornerian first aid kits are meant for Cornerians."_ Fox hesitated yet again before darkly speculating, _"... So, I can't help but wonder... what if the human's dead now because of that?"_

"I... I was just trying to help, Fox." Slippy took a deep breath, "Yes, the skin was on the cold side, but that's 'cause it's pretty dang cold here in the hangar. Call me _Mr. Optimistic,_ but I think I did the right thing."

 _"Well..."_ Replied the vulpine's voice rather dubiously, _"I guess we'll know for sure when we get down there."_

That tense silence overcame the two once more, but not for long.

"... Oh, but also, the instructions said something else." Rubbing his forehead, Slippy wanted to mention one final thing.

 _"Uh-huh... What else did it say?"_

"They mentioned if the victim still wasn't giving visible signs of consciousness within five minutes, then give them a-!"

His words suddenly cut off right there along with the optimistic look upon his face, for his eyes had fallen back down on the human to notice something astonishing. The boy's eyes were opened and staring upward, revealing to be a light hazel color.

"... S-second dose...!" Slippy almost choked on those last two words due to surprise, but he went on to stutter, "F-Fox... It-it's awake...! The human's awake...!"

 _"Ah shit...!"_ The vulpine's voice came hissing back through the communicator. _"Okay, I'm running ahead of Peppy. I'm nearly there, so just hang on. Try to, I don't know... talk to it or something!"_

With that, their conversation promptly ended with a click of static and Slippy was left all alone with this boy who was now conscious.

He kept his eyes nervously locked on the young human, who seemed to be in a kind of disconnected trance. He'd propped himself up on his elbows and was just staring upward at the hangar's high metallic ceiling with its cold white lights hanging down. His mouth was slightly agape with lips quivering, but most apparent of all, he didn't even seem to notice who was standing right there next to him.

Finally, Slippy swallowed hard and slid his communicator away into his back pocket. He figured he'd just try and possibly say something.

"Uh... h-hello there...?"

Seconds passed, but nothing whatsoever came from the boy. Growing more and more anxious, Slippy just wanted any kind of response so he bent down and carefully rested a hand on the human's slender arm closest to him and asked once more, "H-hello...? Can you hear me?"

The human's eyes blinked only once, albeit long and slow. All his paralyzed senses seemed to suddenly snap back to normal, and this time he did give a reaction.

His cold eyes shifted and stared straight into Slippy's, but he didn't make a single sound. It didn't even seem like the boy was willing to breathe in response to seeing this face that struck an indescribably fearful sensation inside him.

It was as if, he somehow knew this face from somewhere.

"Hi... w-what's your name...?" The mechanic attempted to ask a third time, still with a kind of friendliness in his tone. "Um, can you... understand what I'm saying...?"

The slender-figured boy just persisted with that blank and pale stare from deep in his eyes. Their very surfaces were glazed, and he hadn't heard a word that Slippy had said.

 _"Come on... come on Fox, where ARE you...!?"_ Slippy muttered under his breath, anxiously looking back over his shoulder to the hangar's entrance door. These tense moments just kept mounting, and were reaching a point where he couldn't take it anymore.

But then, without any warning, the boy's entire body surged with a wild energy. He scrambled up to his feet, causing Slippy to yelp and stumble before falling down hard on his own backside.

"Hey! Hey, wait! Stop! _STOP!"_ He yelled while struggling to get up, but all he could do was watch in horror as the human began running toward the door which led out of the hangar, and into the bowels of the ship.

"Crap...! F-Fox! Come in, Fox!" The mechanic howled wildly, reaching into his back pants pocket and fumbling to bring out the communicator device.

"We got a bigger problem now! The human's running out of the hangar! I repeat, the human is-!"

His eyes fell on the communicator clasped tightly in his hand, but to his utter dismay he saw it'd been crushed by the sharp impact of his body weight just falling on it.

"Ugh..." His entire face dropped and he grumbled in utter hopelessness, "Oh, you have _GOT_ to be kidding me...!"


	11. Dead on Arrival

**CHAPTER 10 - DEAD ON ARRIVAL**

 **Music/Song: _"Imperfect Lock"_**

Through the long maze of white metallic hallways the boy ran; dazed, cold, and confused. He struggled to keep himself upright on his shaky legs but often stumbled, bumping into the walls before managing to pick himself back up. His hearing and vision were blurred all the while, and he could barely hold a single breath in either.

His eyes frantically darted around; glancing everywhere without the slightest idea of where he was, or where he was even running to. Pure fear and unknowing had overtaken him. All he knew was that he had to get out somehow.

But then something caught his eye from down the hall; a stairwell.

* * *

 _"Crap, crap, crap, crap...!"_ Sputtered Slippy as he rushed over to the hangar bay's door where the human had run out, but just as he rounded the corner, he bashed right into Fox who was about to enter. The two of them fell back on the floor, but it was Slippy who leaped back on his feet in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

"Agh, S-Slippy?!" Fox held his side where they'd collided. "What are you doing?"

"Fox! Did you see him!?" The mechanic frantically glanced in several directions where the boy could have gone. "W-which way did he go?!"

The realization took a moment before it hit the vulpine like a rock, causing his whole face to drop.

"Oh no... don't tell me the human..."

Slippy shook his head in a mix of frustration and stress. "It's my fault! The human just jumped up and ran out literally a few seconds ago! He's somewhere here in the lower levels!"

 _"What...!?"_ Fox clenched his teeth and grumbled, confounded over how it could've happened. "Why the hell didn't you say anything!?"

Slippy held up his broken communicator, touting in a rather sour manner, "Here's why... 'cause my _fat ass_ smashed my communicator."

"... Okay, well, which way did you see the human go?" Asked Fox in wake of an agitated sigh.

"I-I don't know, that's the thing...!" Slippy frantically admitted, "He could be anywhere down here!"

Despite his anxiety, the vulpine seemed a bit more controlled. "Well, this _guy_ can't have gone far at all then. There's only a few main hallways."

Then the mechanic realized something. "... Where's Peppy, anyhow?"

"Good question, but that gives me an idea..." Fox clicked on his helmet's communicator. "Hey Pep, where are you?"

 _"... Getting back to the bridge, as a matter of fact."_ The hare's voice answered almost immediately, _"My old legs couldn't keep up with you even if it meant my life, but I figured we might need to run a bio-metric scan of the ship... with an 'actual' pair of eyes to see what comes up."_

Fox seemed somewhat relieved to hear this. "... You literally read my mind, Pep. The human's out somewhere in the lower levels and we gotta find it, quick!"

However, a brief period of silence then arose, leaving him and Slippy nervously waiting there in the chilly hallway.

"Alright, let's see..." Peppy finally came back. "Just give me a sec. I'm starting the bio-scan sequence... now."

He closely watched the display as it revealed every single room and storage compartment of the Great Fox that were being scanned for traces of a life-form. Each of the team member's names as well as their locations soon came up, accompanied by the ship's Com announcing:

 _"Bio-scan complete. Total number of four recognized persons and five bio-metric traces detected. Peppy Hare, location: bridge control room. Fox McCloud, location: hallway sub-level five. Slippy Toad, location: hallway sub-level five. Falco Lombardi, location: crew quarters, sub-level two..."_

What seemed like an entire tense minute passed, before a final result was read.

 _"Unidentified human life-form, location: port-side stairwell, sub-level two."_

"What?" Peppy balked. "How the heck did... How'd the human get up there so fast?!"

"Yeah... It's about to wander right into the damn crew quarters...!" A worried Fox promptly swung about face and took off running down a particular hallway. Without even looking back, he shouted, "C'mon Slippy!"

The mechanic didn't know what to do at first. He looked back into the hangar bay and took a few clumsy steps before turning and quickly picked up his pace.

"... Fox? Fox, wait!"

* * *

A faint yet mysteriously familiar noise suddenly started reaching the boy's ears now, even as he slowly crept along the cold walls of those empty hallways amid the low ambient hum of the ship. It was the shrill of rock music, coming from a small player of some kind. But there was something else emanating as well; the muffled sound of running water from a shower head.

Dull pain also began to swell and throb within the boy's right shoulder now. He even had to clasp it tightly, completely unaware that it'd been the result of Slippy's Hypo-Blue injection just a few minutes ago. Nevertheless, a red puncture mark shown on the shoulder skin in-between his fingers.

Soon the boy stepped in front of an automatic door, prompting it to shoot open with a hydraulic hiss. He wasn't startled though, strangely enough, but took a wary look inside as this was where that sound had been coming from. It was a bedroom with a huge window pane on the far side, through which the blue skies of the planet shown. On the floor near the bed though, there was a dirty black tank-top and a pair of cargo pants, while on the bed itself, a clean red pilot's suit and white over-jacket lay there, complete with a blaster in its holster.

Then the boy's attention snapped back to the noise.

Enthusiastic singing had suddenly arisen from inside the bathroom. It was Falco's voice going along with the lyrics in that rock music, though the boy had no idea of it. The door to there was closed of course, but something kept luring the silent boy further into the room until the bedroom door automatically lowered back down behind him.

Now he stood there alone in the middle of the room, trembling with every quick, frail breath. He couldn't help but stare down at the clothes on the floor, and then the suit on the bed. Who's clothes were these? Where was he at, even? He didn't know what to do other than remain standing there. All was void in his mind.

 _"Hey Falco, you there?"_ A sharp voice suddenly sounded off from under the cargo pants on the floor. _"Falco, come in!"_

The boy's light hazel eyes glanced down, seemingly unfazed as this new sound became lost amid the others already swirling throughout his ears.

 _"Falco!? Pick up, dammit!"  
_

It was the frantic voice of Fox, but his words went unheard. Falco kept singing along energetically to the music and the boy stood there, now fixed on the communicator he'd discovered under the clothes. He picked it up, staring at it in his quivering hand with a blank wonder.

 _"Falco, listen to me! There's a human on the ship! It's on the crew quarters floor right now! Try to head it off!"_

That's when the sound of running water in the shower promptly stopped. The boy glanced back up at the closed bathroom door and heard a curtain slide open, with some other commotion amid Falco jamming to that song.

His heart started pounding even faster. It was too late to run back out, so he had to hide somewhere in here, quick.

What looked like a closet was just to his right, so without even thinking he quickly snatched up the holstered blaster as well and disappeared into the pitch dark before sliding the door shut. It was just in the nick of time though; The bathroom door slid open and Falco emerged still wet and dripping, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He still had the music player in his hand and was humming along to the song's melody, but it soon came to an end so he shut it off.

"Alrighty... let's see..."

As Falco dried off his ruffled feathers and started getting dressed in his pilot's suit, the boy huddled right there behind the closet door though he couldn't see a thing. All he could do was remain dead-quiet and pray that he'd stay hidden.

"Wha... okay, where'd I put my blaster...?"

A ghostly chill shot down the boy's back and he nearly choked on the breath he just took, while Falco impatiently looked all around the bed.

"For cryin' out...! Ughhh, I coulda sworn it was right here...!?"

He got on his knees and began to rummage under the bed, but then something split the silence apart.

 _"FALCO, DO YOU READ?!"_

The boy's heart just about stopped. This sudden sharp voice had sounded off from the communicator in his hand. Falco meanwhile glanced back over at the closet door in confusion.

"Huh...?" He wondered aloud, standing up and slowly approaching the closet. "What the hell's my com doin' in there...?"

The door to the closet whipped open, and that's when everything seemed to freeze in place. Falco and the revealed boy met eyes without any immediate reaction; they just stared blankly at each other for an uncomfortably long period of time. The boy was huddled there, holding the communicator in one hand and the holstered blaster in the other.

"What the..." Falco finally uttered in complete bafflement, but then the boy suddenly raised the blaster up.

 _"FALCO, PICK UP!"_ Fox's loud voice came through one more time, to which the human pulled the trigger point-blank.

A bright blue laser blew out the holster's leather base and ripped straight into Falco's right shoulder with a smokey burst.

"GYAAAHHH!" Yelled the bird in pain as he stumbled back, clasping his wounded shoulder while the frightened human boy dropped both things in his hands and bolted out of the closet past him. The bedroom door automatically opened as he dashed under it, but he sharply struck his forehead on the bottom edge.

The boy almost fell to the floor holding his head, but managed to stay up despite being discombobulated. Beneath his hair now was a bleeding gash. A deep ringing sounded all throughout his ears as well, but then an enraged voice came from behind.

"Oh you little... you little BITCH!" Falco snatched up the blaster with searing vengeance across his face, and sprinted out of the bedroom to spot the boy scampering down the long hallway.

"GET BACK HERE!" He took off after him, grasping his wounded shoulder and struggling to hold his blaster up at the same time. A trail of dark-red blood streamed down his clean white jacket and began dripping on the floor with each bound he took.

As the panicked boy swung around another corner, he stumbled back out in a larger hallway and frantically looked around.

To his right was the stairwell that he'd come up, but to the left it seemed to join with an even larger hallway. He took a bound back toward the stairwell, but that was when Fox emerged at the top. Slippy skidded to a halt beside him a moment after, and the two of them immediately locked their eyes on the human.

"Th-there, look...!" Panted Slippy, anxiously pointing while Fox instinctively set his hand on his blaster.

"Hey! Hey, hold it!" He shouted in a command, but the boy gasped in fear and quickly turned back, dashing the other way toward that larger hallway. Fox and Slippy warily began their pursuit, until Falco bolted out from that side corridor and cut right in front of them.

"Falco!?" Fox exclaimed in bewilderment, though his wingman didn't even notice him and Slippy there due to his blinding rage.

"THAT'S RIGHT, KEEP RUNNING!" He yelled as he grabbed the edge of that next doorway, swinging around it. Now the boy was directly in his sights.

"HEY! YOU TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT ME, YOU LITTLE FUCK!"

He furiously held up his blaster and aimed right at the human's back, his bloody finger quivering as it slowly pulled on the trigger.

"Wait! Falco, NO!" Fox sprinted up and grabbed the the stock, yanking it down to the side just in time as Falco fired a shot. The laser struck the metallic floor right next to the boy's feet, kicking up bright sparks and ricocheting around through piercing bursts of sound. The boy managed to take one last desperate bound before the laser tore into the back of his upper left leg, making him swing upward and finally collapse flat on his back.

He lay there, writhing slowly and emitting nothing but soft, painful moans in-between breaths.

 _"... Shit...!"_ Fox hissed through his teeth as he and an astonished Slippy began approaching the helpless human. Falco stayed back, leaning against the wall and bitterly clasping his wounded upper arm in pain. He slowly opened his shaking, blood-covered feathered hand, but nearly his entire sleeve had blood spread across it by now.

"What the hell were you doing, Falco?!" Yelled the vulpine as he knelt down beside the boy who's eyes were wide-opened, darting back and forth between the two pilots. A tiny pool of tears welled up in the corners before spilling over the edges and streaming down his pale cheeks.

"I said head the human off, not shoot it for crying out loud!"

"Head the... WHAT?!" Falco immediately fired back, "YOU DIDN'T SAY _NOTHIN'_ ABOUT NO HUMAN!"

"I yelled over your com several times! You never answered so I thought-...! Look, just try to-!" Fox faced him, about to retort further, but was shocked to notice the bloody wound on his fellow pilot's upper right arm.

"... W-what happened to your arm!?"

Falco angrily cocked his head, making a gesture down to the boy. "This... this little _bitch_ shot me with my own fuckin' blaster, that's what! All I did was open my closet 'cause I heard my com in there, and then BAM! It happened!"

Neither Fox nor Slippy could believe what they were hearing, but they didn't have much time to even think. Peppy's concerned voice sounded off from the communicator on Fox's helmet.

 _"Fox! What the heck's goin' on down there? ROB just reported a shot was fired down in the main hallway of sub-level two!"_

The vulpine exhaled deep and slow, just needing a moment or two to collect himself. At last he could see this human boy up close. He eyed his trembling body up and down, confounded by the strange yet casual clothing he wore; especially those thick, semi-wet winter socks on his feet. The gash across his forehead was still fresh, with the back of his upper left leg all bloodied now as well.

"C-c'mon Fox, we gotta do something...!" Slippy meanwhile tried his best to remain calm, looking worriedly at the boy's condition and then up at Fox over what they should do.

 _"Fox!?"_ Then Peppy came again, this time more anxious. _"Talk to me, son! What's goin' on down there? Did ya find the human?"_

Several more agonizing moments of waiting passed, until Fox blinked and finally replied, "R-roger, we have the human now. We're bringing him up to the bridge, so we'll be there in a minute. Oh, and that medical kit in there... it's unopened, right?"

 _"Uh-huh...?"_ The hare answered quite unsurely after a moment. _"Why d'ya ask that...?"_

"We're gonna need it right away." Fox came back rather darkly, "Look, there's no time to explain. Get it opened and clear off one of the tables."

 _"... Okay, but... you boys better haul ass back up here. We only got eight minutes until we arrive at the stadium..."_

With that, the conversation promptly ended but Fox immediately grabbed hold of one of the boy's shivering arms and carefully began hoisting him up.

"C'mon Slippy, help me out here. Get the other arm."

The mechanic nodded, doing so without a word and without hesitation. He helped Fox gently lift the boy up by his arms to support him over their shoulders.

Falco just watched from behind meanwhile, wincing in pain and holding his own shoulder with the blaster still clasped tightly in his bloodied hand. Soon enough though, he began following his companions but purposely remained a ways back, furiously glaring at their captive from behind.

As they trudged their way down the hall, the boy was so weak that he couldn't even keep his head up. Those socks on his limp feet dragged along the floor while his teary eyes rolled a bit back in his head. All he kept letting out were slow, frail breaths.

Fox adjusted the human's arm hanging around his shoulder, but he'd been thinking about something.

"... Hey, and Slippy?"

"Y-yeah?" The mechanic glanced over, past the human's slender torso.

"I take back what I said. I think it's actually a good thing you used that Hypo-Blue..."

* * *

Peppy had pulled over one of those metal-topped tables to the clear area in the bridge and shoved off a few tools that'd been used earlier. He hurried over and grabbed that medical kit on the wall, but returned just in time to see Fox and Slippy hastily enter the bridge, still carrying the human boy over their shoulders.

"Pep! Give us a hand!" Shouted the vulpine as they stumbled up to the table. The hare gasped, his eyes widening sharply in response.

"Son of a...!" He couldn't have imagined the true extent of what all had happened until he saw it here in front of him with his own two eyes. He saw the head and leg wounds on this strange human, but he rushed over nevertheless and helped Fox and Slippy slide the boy's limp arms off of them, before carefully hoisting him up onto the table so he lay on his backside.

Fox gently straightened out the boy's limbs, but Slippy's concerned gazed couldn't seem to break away from watching his face. There was just the strangest feeling he got from looking into the tear-filled eyes of this human, whether he knew what it was exactly or not. He couldn't forget that haunting chill he'd felt back in the hangar when the boy's eyes first turned and stared directly into his.

Nonetheless, Fox proceeded to slowly lift the boy's left leg up, getting a better look at the charred and bloodied laser wound on the back of his thigh, but it caused a sharp pain to shoot up his whole body. The boy almost choked on his breath, struggling to let out a little cry while Fox just shook his head.

"It's bad..." He let out a worried sigh, motioning over to Peppy, "Get some wraps around it, quick!"

Nodding, he took out a thick bandage wrap from the medical kit, but then, in the corners of his eyes, Peppy saw that Falco was finally trudging in as well, grasping his wounded shoulder tight.

"... Mind tellin' me what in holy tarnation _happened_ down there?!" The hare nearly yelled from his utter confusion, "You look like you've just been through a damn war zone!"

Practically the entire right sleeve of Falco's white pilot jacket was stained with his blood. He even let go, revealing the laser wound so Peppy could see it in full.

"It was this little... fuckin' STOWAWAY!" Falco suddenly snapped, going up to angrily shove Fox and Slippy aside and grab the dazed boy around his throat; choking him until his eyes opened widely. He leaned close and hoarsely whispered, _"... You're just LUCKY to still have a head right now, ya hear...!?"_

He stared murderously into the human's cold, frightened eyes which had darted over to meet his while he lay there beneath the strangling grip on his neck.

"... Falco!" A shocked but stern Peppy came right up to him. "Let... GO!"

The bird didn't budge.

"Falco, back off! That's an order!" Fox stepped back over, firmly grabbing his wingman's uninjured left arm. "Get a patch on that, now!"

Eventually he hissed something under his breath and released the boy, still with that vengeful distaste on his face. He shut his eyes and let out a deep breath through his nostrils as if to calm himself, but the damage had been done. The others, especially Slippy, warily watched Falco yank out a cloth from the medical kit and trod over to one of the other tables, roughly sitting up on the edge.

He pressed the cloth hard against the half-bleeding and charred laser wound just below his shoulder, but clenched his beak and growled from the searing pain. "Nghhh... F-fuck this shit...!"

Fox carefully lifted the boy's leg again, but only enough for Peppy to slide the bandage wrap underneath and wrap it several times around his bloodied thigh. Slippy had meanwhile placed a smaller cloth across the gash on his forehead. He held it there gently, but the boy's panicked eyes kept darting all around their sockets even when Fox tightly squeezed his hands on both sides of his leg to put pressure on the wound.

Then, amid all of this, a very sudden announcement came from ROB 64.

"Incoming request for immediate contact." Stated the robot from where he stood, over at the mainframe computers.

"Contact...?" Peppy glanced up, a bit taken back. "Who's sendin' the request, ROB?"

The robot checked, clarifying, "The request is from the MSAA; the Midair Stadium Arrival Authority. Repeat, the request is labeled as urgent. Accept request for contact and transmit over the bridge intercom?"

Blankly, Peppy turned to the others, unsure of what to do. Here they were with Falco wounded, as well as a strange human boy who was both wounded and barely conscious.

"Midair Stadium..." He even repeated the name aloud, as though he'd completely forgotten its implication. Fox on the other hand was determined not to let everything here descend into chaos. He firmly stood up, letting go of the pressure he'd been putting on the boy's covered wound, but nodded to the robot while he quickly made his way over.

"Yes. Accept the request..." Fox commanded after a quick breath, coming to a stop in front of the mainframe computers next to the robot.

"Accepting request." Affirmed ROB 64, tapping several functions on the screen. "Connection established. Standby for broadcast..."

Silence came over the whole bridge another time as they waited a bit anxiously, until the intercom speakers crackled a few times. Finally, a voice emerged through the static.

 _"Great Fox... come in... Great Fox, do you read? Great Fox, confirm transmission."_

Fox leaned over the main communications console and spoke, "Roger, we got your contact established. The Midair Stadium Arrival Authority, correct?"

 _"Affirmative, we have you on radar."_ The voice responded after a moment, _"Great Fox, you must stop your present heading. I repeat, you must stop your present heading immediately."_

This surprising command made the vulpine's entire face tense up somewhat. He glanced back over at his companions, with the boy still writhing a bit as he lay there on the table. He even let out another soft, painful cry.

 _"Great Fox, do you confirm?"_ The voice inquired more astutely this time, to which Fox turned his attention back and blinked before answering rather unsurely.

"Y-yes, we confirm. Stop our present heading..." He couldn't help but let out a shaky sigh after saying that, but nevertheless gave ROB 64 the order.

"Cut all forward thrusters, ROB. Bring the ship to a stationary hover."

"Cutting all forward thrusters." The robot did so, reaching over to another one of the mainframe consoles and adjusting several controls. That deep ambient hum which had drifted throughout the air this whole time quieted down now, from the huge reactor engines lowering to idle. Likewise, the whole ship started to slow down not long after, until it eventually came to a weightless stop there in the air.

Then the voice acknowledged over the com, _"Great Fox, we've marked your location. You will wait in your current position. I repeat, wait in your current position. Further instructions will be relayed."_

"E-Excuse me..." Fox asked, quite insisting. "Why do we have to wait? We're on a real tight schedule to reach the stadium..."

More tense moments prevailed until some much needed clarification came. _"That's just it. Our communication with Midair Stadium was lost about twenty minutes ago. Protocol is for no craft to enter or leave the vicinity until we figure out what happened. We're sorry."_

Flabbergasted at what he was hearing, the vulpine just let out a scoff. He gazed up, out the front bridge window where the high skies of the planet filled the whole view. In the far distance, quite a bit below the Great Fox's present altitude, he could even see that little structural shape of the stadium itself, floating there above all the cloud layers.

"... Well, this is certainly somethin' new..." Peppy thought to dubiously comment, but not long after, their attention turned back because another announcement came from the Midair Stadium Arrival Authorities.

 _"Great Fox, do you read?"_

"... Affirmative." Answered Fox, his thoughts all churning a bit darkly.

 _"New orders have just been relayed. All airborne craft currently in the vicinity are to be redirected to our departure depot, three-hundred kilometers west of your current position. Standby for guided escort from our security shuttles. They're enroute up to your position now, and will request contact when necessary."_

Fox couldn't help but strain his face again, giving his companions a more confused glance back.

 _"Great Fox, do you confirm?"_

"Y-yes. Yes, we confirm."

 _"Alright, and again, we're sorry for any inconveniences. We're just following protocol until we know why communications with the stadium are still down. Over and out."_

"Over and out..."

Uneasy silence overcame the bridge yet another time. There didn't seem to be any less looming fear though. If anything, it was much more prevalent now.

"The hell was that all about?!" Grumbled Falco, sitting on the edge of that table and holding the medical cloth tightly against his bloodied shoulder, but Fox just kept staring coldly out the bridge window, down at the distant stadium.

"... Something's wrong, guys." He finally uttered, shaking his head slowly. "None of this is making any sense at all. None of it."

His eyes soon fell upon three small objects with blinking red, blue, and yellow lights that were moving in the air below. Those were the security shuttles, flying their way up towards the huge ship from the front, though ROB 64 had been tracking them on the radar.

"Three small craft, MSAA security shuttles approaching the Great Fox from off the port side bow. Distance of fourteen kilometers and closing."

Now Peppy had come over, joining Fox and the robot there at the mainframe computers. They both watched those little vessels closely as they kept drawing nearer, but then came sudden, sharper pain-filled moans from the human boy. He'd started writhing a bit more on the table, and his breaths were becoming more desperate. Slippy was there though, trying his best to hold pressure on both the cloth over his forehead as well as that medical wrap around the bloody leg wound. Still, nothing seemed to help.

"Fox!" He cried worriedly, "I-I think the Hypo-Blue's wearing off! He's feeling more of the pain!"

"Just... just keep pressure on it."

"But I... I can't hold both! I need your help, please! Falco isn't doing _squat!"_

For once, the bird didn't say anything back; he just glared at the mechanic instead. Fox shut his eyes though and exhaled, knowing it was best if he did help Slippy with the boy. Right as he turned to go back however, a new announcement came from ROB 64.

"Unidentified craft detected, approaching from directly behind the Great Fox. Distance of sixty kilometers and closing."

"... What?" Fox hurried over to the radar and checked for himself, but was shocked to see a giant fourth shape now toward the bottom of the display. Not only that, but it was closing the distance very rapidly; much faster than the three small craft were from the front.

"ROB, double check if you get an ID on that fourth ship?"

The robot tapped several functions on the radar display, but to no avail. "Negative. Unable to retrieve any tracing data."

"They have a jammer function... But, that ship's gotta be at least... _three times_ as big as ours...!" With his maw partially agape Fox glanced back up, out the bridge window and saw that those security shuttles were getting very close. They were even close enough now to where their flashing siren lights reflected off of their large black windows, but it was very strange how no contact request whatsoever had come from them yet.

Suddenly, one of the alarms started blaring on the mainframe. Three blinking trails had manifested upon the radar display, and were closing in on the center fast. They'd each come from that much larger ship that was also rapidly approaching from behind.

"Warning: Three incoming missiles detected on the Great Fox's stern. Distance: five kilometers and closing." ROB 64 alerted, to which Fox and Peppy both crowded around the radar display to see for themselves.

"The _FUCK!?_ MISSILES!?" Falco yelled from his place back on the table.

"Are the locked on us!?" Demanded the vulpine, but their robot had more to say.

"Negative. No missile lock detected. Distance: three kilometers and closing."

"But...!" A bewildered Peppy started, "They're comin' straight from that ship behind us! Where else would they be-!"

He froze mid-sentence, because his gaze had drifted back out and darkly fell upon those three security shuttles approaching them from the bow.

"Distance: One kilometer and closing."

Fox's gaze quickly did so too. Both he and Peppy could do nothing other than stare out at them with utter dread, while that beeping alarm kept getting faster and faster.

Then, in what seemed like a flash, three blinding missiles screamed directly over the bridge from behind and slammed into each one of those shuttles no more than half-a-kilometer in front of the Great Fox. Fiery mid-air explosions blasted them into smithereens, shaking the whole front window as thousands of flaming fragments fell below sight.

But no one even had a moment to take in what just happened.

A new and frighteningly powerful rumble was rising in the background. Even the floor began rattling more and more beneath everyone's feet, until it got so loud that the team had to cover their ears. That's when they looked up through the bridge window and saw it; the utterly gargantuan structure of this unknown ship beginning to pass overhead.

First came a long and massive frontal cannon, attached to the dark metallic bulk. The main hull alone was unbelievably broad, lined with numerous smaller cannons and other firepower, but it kept on widening until massive purple bat-like wings in an x-formation were revealed. It absolutely dwarfed the Great Fox, quite literally by three times. What finally followed though was the utterly deafening roar of its multiple rear jet engines.

With their hands still over their ears, Fox and the others just watched; completely dumbfounded as this humongous ship kept descending in a direction toward the distant stadium. Yet, it wasn't long then before the dreaded realization hit the speechless vulpine like a brick wall, sending a strong chill straight down his spine.

 _That's... the Halberd! But that's... Meta Knight's battleship! What is he... doing...!?_

* * *

 **Music/Song: _"Instrument of Your Liberation"_**

 _* Midair Stadium *_

Something had now begun to drown out all that anxious clamor drifting through the whole arena. Something elusive and foreboding was causing people all across the crowds to hush in fear, looking up and around.

It'd been a very distant and dampened rumble of three rapid explosions.

That blonde-haired boy still lay there on the edge of the platform's crater, panting shakily with his blue eyes wide-opened, but Mario and his companions couldn't help but also gaze upward in response to this strange sensation rising in the air. The Toad referee, and even the paramedic team started to do so as well, not paying attention to their monitoring device on the incapacitated boy.

A powerful yet muffled rumbling sounded again from somewhere far above, becoming more prevalent with each passing moment until the stark edge of a thick shadow began creeping its way down over the entire western side of the sun-drenched arena. Soon enough, the utterly giant and looming bow of the battleship Halberd revealed itself, followed by the rest of its bulk as it slowly drifted forward, right over the open-roof.

The rumbling became so much louder and intense that it made those huge display boards rattle on their metallic framework. People actually felt the raw power of the sound vibrating through their chests, but nobody even knew what to make of it, given everything else that had happened in the past half-hour. Mario just felt the most peculiar shiver when the shadow's edge descended upon him and the others there on the platform.

Only Kirby seemed to be thinking anything, for he knew who's ship this was after all. These circumstances, however, were very off. He remembered of course that Meta Knight was arriving late, but like this? His large eyes curiously stared up at the Halberd's vast underside nevertheless, as it soon overshadowed the arena entirely, blocking out every bit of the sunlight.

All the noise promptly tapered off as well. The ship had fully slowed to a stop, and was now hovering there in place of the clear sky. Murmurs and clamor spread once more throughout the densely crowded seating levels, even as two huge bay doors on the Halberd's dark underbelly began sliding open with a sharp hydraulic hiss. They clanged and creaked to a stop once opened, but that foreboding stillness prevailed yet again amid this great shadow now covering the stadium.

No one knew what would happen next.

Mario squinted his eyes, trying to see what was inside that opened loading bay high above, but then he saw what looked like movement at the very edge. Someone was struggling up there, and a frantic voice started wailing at the same time.

 _"No...! No! Please, no! You can't do this! You can't... do this!"_

Those haunting words seemed to echo all throughout the arena, quickly reaching everyone's ears.

 _"WAAGGHHHH!"_

All of a sudden, that tiny figure got shoved out over the edge and uttered a furious yell while plummeting down hundreds of meters, past all the framework of the retracted roof. With hundreds of thousands watching, people all over the crowds collectively cried out in horror.

"What the?!" A stupefied Captain Falcon blurted out. Lucina gasped loudly, covering her mouth in shock while the others just stared up, astonished. Even Mario's eyes sharply widened in response, but only Kirby recognized who it really was.

It was Meta Knight himself, with neither his precious mask nor his cloak on. He was also tightly bound in ropes.

Without any hesitation, a determined Kirby dashed out in front of the group standing there on the platform, shouting, "Poyo!"

Sucking in a huge amount of air, he inflated himself larger than anytime before and leaped up in the air, ascending further and further. He was going to try and catch his fellow Star Warrior mid-fall.

"I-Is Kirby...? Oh, Gods...!" Ike stammered a bit, realizing just then what he was actually attempting. Meta Knight kept plunging straight down towards certain death, but Kirby had risen a good fifty meters and positioned himself right underneath his path.

All eyes were upon them now as the distance rapidly closed, until that final agonizing moment came.

Waves of anxious cries erupted as Meta Knight slammed right onto Kirby's cushion-like body, which sent them both hurtling back down to the platform. They impacted with a hard thud, but Meta Knight bounced and ricocheted off the pink puffball, tumbling across the AstroTurf before finally rolling to a stop.

"AGHHH... GYAHHH!" His eyes were clamped shut, but he kept yelling fearfully and writhed in his tight bonds. Kirby softly rubbed his head and slowly got back up, frantically beckoning to Mario and a few of the others as they hurried over, completely at a loss of thoughts.

"Poyo!" He tried tugging on the ropes binding his fellow Star Warrior, but they wouldn't give. Thinking quick and quiet like always, Link unsheathed his Master Sword and carefully cut along all the ropes until Meta Knight's yellow eyes snapped open. He grunted furiously and thrashed about, ripping himself free from the rest of those bonds.

Everyone took a step back as he leaped to his feet, glancing all around with panicked rage.

"Aghhh... W-wha...!? Kirby...!? M-Mario...!?" Then his eyes darted up to the opened loading bay in his battleship's hull, looming right there past the open-roof.

"They... th-they hijacked my ship...! They're gonna de-... they're gonna destr-...!"

Before Meta Knight could even take his next breath, another deep metallic whirring rang out from above. Several of the Halberd's cannons on the underside began rotating, slowly pitching downward until they pointed right inside the stadium. Mario stood there with the others, numb to his very core, but then darkly noticed something. They weren't aiming directly at the smash platform, but at an area a bit higher behind. His eyes drifted back to follow their approximate path, and that's when his heart just about stopped.

The cannons were aimed directly at the royal balcony.

Mario barely managed to catch Peach's frightened glace down to him, when a truly shocking noise split through the air. Five bright missiles suddenly fired in unison from those cannons, streaking down across the vastness of the arena before impacting right along and above the seating sections surrounding the royal audience's balcony.

Blinding explosions rocked the whole stadium with five ear-shattering bangs. Countless people near the blasts were hurled back and knocked out of their seats from the sheer force. Concrete and metallic shrapnel of all sizes shot out in every direction, striking and mangling many other victims including some in the fringes of the royal audience. Banners and flags that hung nearby got torn to shreds.

Dark smoke blotched out that entire area around the balcony, but an absolutely gruesome sight revealed itself in the surrounding wake. Literally, hundreds upon hundreds of people in those seating sections had just been blown apart right there.

Bloodcurdling shrieks of pain and terror rang out everywhere. Then came the panic, as everyone now realized what was happening.

This was an attack.

"... FATHER!" Screamed Lucina, utterly horrified and desperately trying to see up in the royal balcony shrouded behind smoke. Mario and the others choked on their air at the same time, unable to even fathom what their eyes had just seen. A stomach-wrenching feeling tore within them. What happened to Peach, Daisy, Zelda, and everyone else up there? It'd gone so fast, no one even had a moment to think.

All at once, hundreds of thousands of people across the crowds began scrambling to get up from their seats as those cannons started rotating again. They ran and practically clambered over one another in brutal stampedes along the aisles, crying out in fear and struggling to reach the exits. But there was nowhere to go after that. No immediate way back down to the ground was possible.

More missiles roared through the air all of a sudden, with the cannons each aiming at random places around the stadium's interior.

Tears of a paralyzing shock welled up in Meta Knight's eyes. His mouth had dropped wide-open, as well as Mario's and the others' there with him down on the central platform. All they could do was watch helplessly, in sheer horror as violent blast after violent blast erupted all across seating sections far above them. Flames and black smoke belched up from whence the missiles struck. Another missile streaked right into one of the main press boxes, blasting it apart through a storm of splintered glass and swirling fire. Fractured concrete and twisted metal spewed out across the air, descending amid a deafening flurry of fearful screams and the jolting quakes of more explosions.

One of the cannons then pivoted straight down, firing directly into the framework of those huge hanging display boards. The metal supports all blew apart through an ear-splitting metallic boom, prompting Mario and the others to numbly look up right as the massive screens started tumbling down towards where they all stood.

"WATCH OUT!" Captain Falcon howled, leaping forward with Marth and Roy mere moments before one of the screens smashed right onto the platform's joint with the walkway ramp. It shattered completely in half, tearing a huge hole straight through the layers of safety nets with no resistance whatsoever. Stadium staff and camera crews across there on the side platforms retreated inside when another one of the display boards slammed directly above the exit hall's large opening. The archway collapsed immediately, obscuring all the other hundreds of shocked smashers back there behind a barrage of concrete debris, dust, and warped support beams.

Then the giant mass of the other screens all came crashing down right after. The whole structure jolted when they struck the platform's north end, cleaving it off its hydraulic mounts entirely. Mario looked just in time to see his little wooden trophy get utterly pulverized by the impact, but Kirby's had also been lost sometime during that jolt. What followed though was the loud and spine-chilling rip through the rest of all those safety nets.

Everyone there on the fractured central platform; Mario, Luigi, Kirby, Meta Knight, Pikachu, Red, Little Mac, Captain Falcon, Link, Lucina, Marth, Roy, Ike, the Toad referee, the paramedic team, and that boy were now stranded with no way off. The walkway ramp was no more, and mere strings of the once-thick safety nets remained underneath.

The cannons promptly ceased firing, but this panic was just beginning. The smashers all fearfully glanced up again, just in time to see what looked like a very strange and dense purplish mist starting to cascade out from the Halberd's cargo bay. Only the tearful, trembling eyes of Meta Knight quickly blinked, for he had seen this substance before. He knew what it was, and a pair of frail words were all that could leave his mouth.

"Oh no..."


End file.
